Over 200 Flights Delayed, Train Ops Hit In Delhi As Dense Fog Reduces Visibility To Zero

Dense fog enveloped various parts of North India, bringing visibility and temperatures down and impacting train and flight operations. At Delhi's India Gandhi International Airport, 202 flights were delayed as visibility came down to zero.

As per the past 24 hours data of the IMD, Delhi witnessed a maximum temperature of 16 degrees Celsius, a departure of three degrees below normal and and minimum of 7.6 degrees Celsius. Delhi is expected to witness fog till January 8, with light rain likely on January 6. The temperature in Delhi as of Friday morning was 9.6 degrees Celsius, making it the fifth cold day in a row for the National Capital.

At 8 am, the Palam airport in Delhi reported a 0 m visibility, while the Safdarjung Airport in New Delhi reported a 50-metre visibility. Both the airports are not used for commercial flight operations. 

As per the CPCB, the Air Quality Index is at 309 at the Lodhi Road station, categorised as 'Very Poor'.

#WATCH | Delhi: Dense fog engulfs the national capital as cold wave grips the city.

(Visuals from Akshardham) pic.twitter.com/ePXNPWLPGO

— ANI (@ANI) January 3, 2025

Flights of many airlines, including SpiceJet, Indigo and Air India, were affected even as the Delhi airport reported an average delay of six minutes for arrival flights and 47 minutes for departure flights, as per FlightRadar24.

While SpiceJet said all flights coming in and going to Amritsar and Guwahati are affected due to bad weather, IndiGo issued a travel advisory with special focus on the Delhi, Amritsar, Lucknow, Bengaluru and Guwahati routes.

Airlines urged travellers to check flight schedules while planning their journey, while also warning that flights might be cancelled if the visibility remains poor.

Update issued at 06:35 hours.
Kind attention to all flyers!#Fog #FogAlert #DelhiAirport pic.twitter.com/IAEHvyua0w

— Delhi Airport (@DelhiAirport) January 3, 2025

Trains departing from and arriving in Delhi are also running late, while some route are being operated with changed timings.

#WATCH | Delhi: Several trains delayed at New Delhi railway station due to fog as coldwave grips the city.

(Visuals from New Delhi Railway station) pic.twitter.com/NucZl6ZCGQ

— ANI (@ANI) January 3, 2025

At least 24 trains departing from Delhi were delayed due to weather-related conditions. Among the affected trains, the Ayodhya Express was delayed by four hours, the Gorakhdham Express was running more than two hours late, and the Bihar Kranti Express and the Shram Shakti Express were delayed by over three hours.

Dense fog is expected to remain over Delhi, Lucknow, Bengaluru, Amritsar and Guwahati on Friday. The India Meteorological Department's (IMD) Nowcast warning for dense to very dense fog has been issued for Delhi, Rajasthan's Kota, Bundi, Sikar, Jhunjhunu, Churu, Sri Ganganagar and Tonk, Punjab's Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran and Kapurthala, and Haryana's Kurukshetra, Amabal, Panchkula and Yamunanagar. Meanwhile, light rain and snow is expected in parts of Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh.

#WATCH | Delhi | People take the help of a bonfire to keep themselves warm as mercury dips in the National Capital.

(Visuals from Lodhi Road) pic.twitter.com/wBdXno8IkK

— ANI (@ANI) January 3, 2025

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.

Amid cold wave conditions, the Gautam Buddh Nagar administration ordered suspension of classes till 8 in all schools of the district until further orders. The Met has predicted a low of 8 degrees Celsius on Friday.