Low visibility conditions disrupted flight operations at Delhi airport on Tuesday, leading to widespread cancellations, a Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) official said.
“So far, 49 departures and 77 arrivals have been cancelled due to poor visibility,” the official said, attributing the disruptions to dense fog and haze in the early morning hours.
Delhi International Airport Limited sought to reassure passengers, saying operations were largely stable despite weather-related challenges.
In a post on X, DIAL said: “Flight operations are running smooth at Delhi Airport. However, a few departures and arrivals may still be affected. Rest assured, our on-ground officials are available across terminals to assist passengers and provide necessary support. Please stay connected with your airline for the latest updates on your flight.”
At the same time, crisis-hit IndiGo said it cancelled 110 flights across its network on Tuesday due to disruptions caused by bad weather at Delhi airport.
Reiterating the impact of poor visibility, the airline said, “Due to low visibility, 49 departures and 77 arrivals have been cancelled so far at Delhi airport.”
“As winter sets in, early mornings across northern India can bring fog that may occasionally slow down flight movements,” IndiGo said in another post on X. The airline added that it was taking steps to minimise passenger inconvenience.
“Our teams are well prepared and closely monitoring weather conditions,” IndiGo said, adding that wherever possible, “we are making thoughtful adjustments on the ground to reduce inconvenience and ensure any waiting time is as comfortable as possible.”
The flight disruptions came amid persistent haze and deteriorating air quality in the national capital. Delhi’s air quality saw some improvement on Tuesday morning, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 377 compared to 498 a day earlier, though it remained in the ‘very poor’ category.
According to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data, the city had witnessed worse conditions over the past two days, with AQI readings crossing 400 at several locations, placing them in the ‘severe’ category. Even on Tuesday, 11 of the 40 monitoring stations continued to record ‘severe’ air quality. Jahangirpuri, Mundka and Wazirpur reported the highest AQI readings at 426, as per the CPCB’s Sameer app.
An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 to 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 to 200 ‘moderate’, 201 to 300 ‘poor’, 301 to 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 to 500 ‘severe’.
Several parts of the city were blanketed by smog and fog during the early morning hours, significantly reducing visibility. Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 8.3 degrees Celsius on Monday, 0.3 notches below normal, while the maximum temperature is expected to hover between 23 and 25 degrees Celsius.
