15 flights diverted, over 80 trains delayed as dense fog blankets Delhi for second day

Dense fog continued to blanket Delhi for the second consecutive morning on January 4, severely affecting visibility in various parts of the city. As a result, 15 flights had to be diverted from the national capital, while 81 trains were delayed, officials said, according to PTI. The meteorological department confirmed that visibility had been reduced to zero since 11:30 pm on Friday (January 3) at Palam and 12:30 am on Saturday (January 4) at Safdarjung.

Fog, combined with mostly calm surface winds, hindered its dissipation, maintaining very low visibility throughout the morning, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

At 7 am, visibility at Indira Gandhi International Airport was reported as zero due to extremely dense fog, with the Runway Visual Range ranging from 100 to 250 metres and CAT III conditions in place. Such low-visibility conditions persisted since 11:30 pm on Friday, according to the Met office. While flight operations continued at the airport, delays were expected for non-CAT III compliant flights.

Several airlines, including Air India and IndiGo shared an update at 10.30 am and advised passengers to check if there is any delay in their flight before heading to the airport.

#6ETravelAdvisory: Dense fog continues to affect visibility in #Delhi, #Chandigarh, #Amritsar, #Srinagar, #Guwahati and #Patna, even during daytime hours. We understand that the resulting delays and changes to your travel schedule may be inconvenient.

— IndiGo (@IndiGo6E) January 4, 2025

Passengers have been advised to check with airlines for updates. Meanwhile, the Northern Railway reported significant delays, with 59 trains running late by up to six hours and 22 trains delayed by around eight hours. In addition, the air quality in Delhi was recorded as “very poor,” with an AQI of 380 at 9 am.

#TravelAdvisory

Poor visibility due to dense fog is impacting flight operations in Delhi and parts of Northern India. Please check your flight status at: https://t.co/6ajUZVeeIM before heading to the airport.

— Air India (@airindia) January 3, 2025

The weather also saw a minimum temperature of 7.8 degrees Celsius, slightly above the normal range, with dense fog expected to continue through the day. The maximum temperature was forecasted to reach around 21 degrees Celsius.

In a related development, air quality in the national capital was in the ‘very poor’ category with an Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 380 at 9 am, according to Central Pollution Control Board data. An AQI between zero and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 and 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 and 200 ‘moderate’, 201 and 300 ‘poor’, 301 and 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 and 500 ‘severe’.

(With inputs from PTI)