On Wednesday (December 31) morning, most parts of Delhi and NCR were engulfed in dense fog, reducing visibility to just a few metres. Air and rail traffic was severely affected due to dense fog. Flight operations remained disrupted at Indira Gandhi International Airport, with over 140 flights reported cancelled, while several other flights were delayed. India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert for Delhi in view of the dense fog.
According to sources associated with Delhi Airport, the total canceled flights include around 70 departure flights. The airport is being operated under CAT-III protocol due to extremely low visibility. Under the CAT-III system, with the help of state-of-the-art autoland technology, landing of aircraft is possible even in runway visual range (RVR) of less than 300 meters. Delhi Airport Administration has advised passengers to check the status of their flight before leaving for the airport.
Airline companies have also issued advisories for passengers. IndiGo said in its statement, “Fog still persists at many airports in Delhi and North India. Visibility is low and due to this, flight movement is still slower than normal, and some flights are also being delayed. We will continue to manage operations under the current circumstances, and will stagger departures and arrivals to maintain smooth operations.”
Indigo further appealed to passengers to take extra time to travel, saying, “We request you to http://bit.ly/3ZWAQXd Keep checking the status of your flight through. Since road visibility and traffic conditions are poor due to fog, we advise you to allow extra time for your journey to the airport. Please be assured that our teams are here to assist you at the airport and will remain ready to assist you throughout your journey today.” Other airlines, including Air India, have also issued similar warnings.
Along with air traffic, rail services have also been affected. Due to dense fog, many trains originating from Delhi and reaching Delhi are running late. Scenes of passengers waiting at railway stations have surfaced on social media.
At the same time, the situation of air pollution also remains very worrying. According to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data, Delhi’s average air quality index (AQI) at 7 am was recorded at 384, which falls in the ‘very poor to severe’ category. The situation remained even worse in many areas of the city. The AQI was recorded at 452 in Anand Vihar, 426 in ITO, 411 in RK Puram and 419 in Chandni Chowk, all of which are in the ‘severe’ category. AQI 414 was also recorded in Dwarka Sector-8.
Experts say that due to lack of cold winds, moisture and trapped pollutants, there is little chance of respite from fog and poor air quality in the coming days. The administration has appealed to people to avoid non-essential travel and take health precautions.
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