Dense Fog Across North India Reduces Visibility For 2nd Day, Flight Ops Hit

For the second consecutive day, a thick layer of fog has covered north India, dropping temperatures and disrupting train, and flight operations in several states. 

The Delhi airport has issued an advisory for passengers that operations have been impacted due to fog. Flyers are requested to contact the airlines for updates. Over 170  flights have been delayed at the Delhi airport this morning and 38 have been cancelled. Srinagar, Chandigarh, Agra, Lucknow, Amritsar, Hindon and Gwalior airports reported zero visibility.

Over 50 trains coming to Delhi are late. The 22436 New Delhi Vande Bharat Express is delayed by over four hours, while the Varanasi Vande Bharat Express is 14 hours late. The New Delhi Vande Bharat Express is eight hours and 17 minutes late and the Anand Vihar Terminal Superfast Express is delayed by over seven hours.

Yesterday, over 200 flights were delayed as visibility came down to zero at the Indira Gandhi International Airport.

Update issued at 00:05 hours.
Kind attention to all flyers!#Fog #FogAlert #DelhiAirport pic.twitter.com/fQZakeRWAV

— Delhi Airport (@DelhiAirport) January 3, 2025

The India Meteorological Department has forecast a dense to very dense fog in the national capital, Uttar Pradesh and at isolated places in Punjab and Haryana. According to the IMD, the current general visibility at the IGI airport is zero.

IndiGo said it "continues to experience significantly reduced visibility due to fog, impacting flight schedules".

#6ETravelAdvisory: Departures and arrivals at #DelhiAirport are currently on hold due to reduced visibility. Please stay updated on your flight status https://t.co/IEBbuCsa3e. Once operations resume, flights may still encounter delays due to airside congestion. (1/2)

— IndiGo (@IndiGo6E) January 3, 2025

Air India said, "Poor visibility due to dense fog is impacting flight operations in Delhi and parts of Northern India," asking passengers to check their flight status.

#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

SpiceJet advised passengers to check their flight status and updated that, "Due to bad weather (poor visibility) in Delhi (DEL), all departures/arrivals and their consequential flights might get affected."

#WeatherUpdate (03rd Jan'25): Due to bad weather (poor visibility) in Delhi (DEL), all departures/arrivals and their consequential flights might get affected. Passengers are requested to keep a check on their flight status via https://t.co/2wynECZugy.

— SpiceJet (@flyspicejet) January 3, 2025

Delhi is expected to witness fog till January 8, with light rain likely on January 6. The temperature in Delhi as of Saturday morning was 10 degrees Celsius.

A "cold day" is when the minimum temperature is under 10 degrees Celsius and the highest or lowest temperature is at least 4.5 degrees lower than what is considered normal for a specific period.

As per the CPCB, the Air Quality Index is over 240, categorised as 'Very Unhealthy'.