STRANDED

Calcutta, Dec. 29: Seven flights were hit by fog at the Calcutta airport this morning.

Airport officials said flights could not take off between 6.35am and 7.25am as dense fog formed over the city. When the sky cleared, the clogged runway caused further delays.

This is the second time this week that flights in Calcutta have been hit by fog.

The airport had earlier this year installed the Category-II instrumental landing system, which allows aircraft to land and take off at a minimum visibility of 350 metres. But the visibility this morning dipped below that mark.

The Met department said condensation of moisture at the ground level had caused the fog.

“In winter, the temperature at the ground level is the lowest at sunrise. Immediately after the sun came out today, there was condensation of moisture, which caused the fog,” an official said.

According to an airport official, 12 flights had taken off on schedule before the fog set in. They included the Jet Airways Calcutta-Port Blair flight, which left around 5am.

But those booked on SpiceJet’s flight to Port Blair were not so lucky. The passengers were ready to board when fog played spoiler. The aircraft had to be held back at the parking bay and the passengers had to wait at the airport.

SpiceJet’s Port Blair flight was the first to depart after the fog cleared. But several others queued on the tarmac for up to half an hour. Some incoming flights had to circle the airport for 10-15 minutes before landing.

Deccan’s Calcutta-Jamshedpur flight was cancelled.

The postal department’s cargo flight, which has been taken on lease from Air India for ferrying letters and cargo to the Northeast, was also delayed.

On Thursday, 30 flights were delayed by four hours on an average and one was diverted to Guwahati.

Met officials said the foggy conditions would continue till the first week of February.