Dense fog in north India throws air, rail traffic out of gear; IMD predicts no relief

With dense fog enveloping various parts of North India and visibility declining to alarming levels, the train and flight operations have taken a hit.

At Delhi's Palam Airport, visibility fell to zero, while Safdarjung Airport reported just 50 metres.

Flights of many airlines, including SpiceJet, Indigo and Air India, were affected even as the Delhi airport reported an average delay of five minutes for arrival flights and 11 minutes for departure flights, as per FlightRadar24.

Also read: Intense cold grips Punjab, Haryana; min temp 4 degrees celsius in Pathankot

Amid the prevailing dense fog conditions, Delhi airport authorities on Friday issued an advisory and stated that flights which were not CAT III compliant would get affected.

Air, train passengers a harried lot

Taking to social media platform X, the authority wrote in a post "While landing and take offs continue at Delhi airport, flights that are not CAT III compliant may get affected." Further, the airport authorities requested passengers to contact concerned airlines for their updated flight information.

"Passengers are requested to contact the airline concerned for updated flight information," the post further read.

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

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.

Also read: Dense fog disrupts operations at Kolkata airport, 24 flights hit

IMD predicts dense fog till Jan 8

Meanwhile, the cold wave extended its grip across northern states. Lucknow woke up to a chilly 8°C, while Jaipur recorded 10.2°C. In Srinagar, the temperature dipped to -1.3°C, with snowfall disrupting air travel.

The IMD has predicted dense fog until January 8 in Delhi, with a chance of light rain on January 6, which may bring slight relief. In the meantime, authorities continue to urge travellers to check updates on flights and trains while preparing for potential delays.

However, the fog wasn’t the only issue, as Delhi’s air quality deteriorated further, with an AQI of 348, categorised as ‘very poor.’ The choking smog added another layer of discomfort for residents already battling the biting cold.