Dense Fog, Low Visibility In Delhi Impact IndiGo Flight Operations

Low visibility and dense fog conditions across North India impacted IndiGo flight operations, inconveniencing passengers travelling on Sunday.

According to an official statement from the airlines, "Due to the low visibility and dense fog conditions across North India, IndiGo flight operations were impacted on January 14, 2024. This had a cascading effect on our operations throughout the day. Our staff kept passengers apprised of all delays and cancellations across airports and made every possible effort to facilitate the passengers. We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused to our passengers."

Earlier in the day, a special IndiGo flight, on which Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, were going to travel to Manipur's Imphal for the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, was delayed due to fog and poor visibility conditions at Delhi Airport.

The Congress leaders were not able to board the flight and waited at the airport lounge.

As thick fog gripped the national capital, reducing visibility to alarming proportions, several flights were delayed.

Vistara's Delhi-to-Pune flight was delayed by more than an hour, according to officials.

Meanwhile, in the national capital, the movement of traffic was impaired on a bitterly cold Sunday.

The minimum temperature in RK Puram was recorded at 7 degrees Celsius in the early hours.

Meanwhile, people on the streets and the homeless took refuge at government-run night shelters in the unforgiving cold and foggy conditions.

The night shelters in Delhi provide refuge to the homeless who live on the streets and have nowhere else to go in the cold. The shelters offer blankets, beds, hot water, and food to them.

Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an alert as temperatures dipped.

"Very dense fog layer extends over Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, North Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. Passengers on highways need to drive extremely carefully and only with fog lights," the IMD posted from its X handle.

"Journeys need to be halted until fog reduction by morning especially on expressways. Very dense fog reporting over Amritsar, Chandigarh, Patiala, Ambala, Ganganagar, Palam, Safdarjung, and Lucknow with visibility 0 meter since 0230 hrs IST of today," it added.

Fog is likely to prevail in the morning hours in isolated pockets of northwest India during the next three to four days, the Met department said.

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