A total of 14 flights were diverted and many were delayed at the Delhi airport on Monday as bad weather conditions in the national capital resulted in poor visibility impacting aircraft operations, according to an official.
Another reason for flight diversions being that some of the pilots were not trained for CAT III operations, which ensures secure landings even in situations of extremely poor visibility.
Broadly, CAT III trained pilots are allowed to take off or land planes at very low visibility conditions.
Airline operators - Air India, SpiceJet and IndiGo - informed passengers through a social media post on X that flights may be affected due to poor visibility conditions in the national capital, which is also grappling with high pollution levels.
Out of the 14 flights, 13 were diverted to Jaipur and 1 to Dehradun, the official said and added that the diversions happened between 8.30 am and 3 pm.
"Low visibility procedures are in progress at Delhi airport. All flight operations are at present normal," Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) said in a post on X early morning on Monday.
DIAL operates the Indira Gandhi International Airport, which handles around 1,400 flight movements daily.
It also advised passengers to contact the airlines concerned for updated flight information.
"Poor visibility in Delhi and some parts of Northern India are affecting flight operations to and from Delhi today. Guests are advised to start early for the airport, as slow traffic may delay your movement," Air India said in a post on Monday afternoon.
SpiceJet, in an early morning post on Monday, said that due to poor visibility in Delhi, all departures/arrivals and their consequential flights may get affected.
"#6ETravelAdvisory: Fog is currently affecting visibility in Delhi, which may result in slow moving traffic and delays in flight schedules," IndiGo said in a post late on Sunday night.
Delhi's air quality plummeted to the 'severe plus' category on Monday, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) soaring to 484 - its worst reading this season, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
Earlier today, the Supreme Court directed Delhi and all the governments in the National Capital Region (NCR) to strictly implement GRAP stage IV anti-pollution measures as AQI (Air Quality Index) remains in the "severe" category.
(With agency inputs)