Dense fog disrupts air, rail ops
130 flights cancelled, over 300 delayed; trains also hit
Dense fog engulfed the national capital on Monday, disrupting air and rail operations, with hundreds of flights cancelled or delayed and several trains running hours behind schedule.
As many as 130 flights - 65 arrivals and 65 departures - were cancelled, while over 300 were delayed due to low visibility at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport.
Several trains, including premium ones, were running hours behind schedule, affecting the passengers. As per Railway officials, at least 100 trains, including Mumbai New Delhi, Chennai-Nizammudin Rajdhani Express, Amritsar-New Delhi Shatabdi, Mahabodhi Superfast Express, Vikramshila Express, Arunachal Express, Lucknow-New Delhi AC Superfast Express, Bareilly-New Delhi Intercity Express, Muzaffarpur-Porbandar Express, and Katra-Kota, among other superfast, mail, express and passenger category trains, were running late.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for dense fog in Delhi-NCR till New Year.
According to the IMD, a western disturbance is likely to affect North India, with partly cloudy skies expected in Delhi on the evening of December 31 and the possibility of light rain in parts of Delhi-NCR on January 1.
As per the Weather Department, the IGI Airport recorded a minimum visibility of 50 meters, which improved to 500 meters at 10:30 am.
Airlines issued advisories cautioning passengers about possible delays and cancellations. IndiGo said dense fog in Jammu continued to affect visibility, impacting flights operating to and from the region, with services subject to delays or cancellations depending on weather and operational feasibility.
SpiceJet warned of disruptions in Kolkata due to poor visibility, stating that all departures, arrivals and consequential flights could be affected. Air India also cautioned passengers that dense fog across north India, including at its Delhi hub, could have a cascading impact on flight schedules across its domestic network.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) issued a broader advisory, warning of reduced visibility at select airports in northern India and potential delays. It said passenger facilitation measures had been activated, with assistance teams deployed at affected airports to support travelers.
