Dense fog resulting from a drop in temperature caused significant disruptions to train and flight services in Delhi on Wednesday morning, leaving numerous passengers stranded at airports and railway stations. Flights to and from Delhi were either delayed or canceled due to the adverse weather conditions.
According to the flight tracking website Flightradar24, a total of 51 flights faced delays, with 11 cancellations reported at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport. A passenger arriving from Goa expressed frustration, stating, “My flight was delayed by three hours due to fog. I didn’t expect my arrival to the city to be delayed this long.”
Domestic airline IndiGo issued an advisory on social media, cautioning passengers about potential impacts on flight departures and arrivals due to the inclement weather in Delhi and neighboring Chandigarh.
Delhi Airport witnessed diversions, with five flights redirected between 9 pm on Tuesday and 7 am on Wednesday, including three to Jaipur and two to Mumbai and Ahmedabad. The airport initiated low visibility procedures (LVP) when visibility dropped below 800 meters.
A passenger advisory from Delhi Airport informed travelers that flights not compliant with CAT III standards might be affected. The anti-fog landing system, CAT-III Instrument Landing System (ILS), was activated to assist precision landing in low visibility conditions.
Passengers at Anand Vihar railway station reported significant delays, with all Delhi-bound trains arriving eight hours behind schedule. The dense fog affected a total of 23 trains to Delhi from various parts of the country, as confirmed by the chief public relations officer (CPRO) of Northern Railways.
#WATCH | Delhi: Passengers face difficulty as several trains delayed and cancelled at Anand Vihar Railway Station due to dense fog.
(Visuals shot at 6:05 am) pic.twitter.com/CYokcAuZQZ
— ANI (@ANI) January 31, 2024
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) recorded a minimum temperature of 10°C in Delhi on Wednesday morning. The Met office highlighted that the city’s Safdarjung observatory recorded the second-lowest minimum temperature for January in the past 13 years.