Smog delays six flights on Chandigarh-Delhi route

Visibility remained poor throughout the day, hitting operations. Jet Airways’ Delhi flight, which was scheduled to depart at 2.20pm, left two hours late because of delayed arrival from Delhi.

  As many as six flights on the Chandigarh-Delhi route got delayed for 30 minutes to two-and-half hours after heavy smog enveloped Indira Gandhi International Airport in the national capital on Tuesday. 

The Chappar Chiri war memorial engulfed in smog in Mohali on Tuesday evening. While operations were hit at the city airport due to smog in Delhi, visibility was poor in tricity as well.(Sanjeev Sharma/HT)

Visibility remained poor throughout the day, hitting operations. Jet Airways’ Delhi flight, which was scheduled to depart at 2.20pm, left two hours late because of delayed arrival from Delhi. 

Similarly, Air Vistara’s flight at 12:15pm departed two-and-half hours late. Go Air’s 10:40am flight departed at 11:45 am, and Jet Airway’s flight at 7:45am was also delayed by 20 minutes. 

Spicejet’s Delhi-Chandigarh-Srinagar flight was also affected. 

The flight left the Delhi airport an hour and a half late. As a result, it left from Chandigarh to Srinagar at 1:30pm instead of 12pm. On its return journey, too, the flight was delayed by an hour.

Meanwhile, seven flights between Chandigarh and Delhi are already cancelled for three days from November 7 to 9 due to closure of one of the runways at the Delhi international airport for maintenance work.

“The delay caused harassment to travellers, but it was not in our control,” said a Chandigarh airport official. “We hope there is no delay on Wednesday.”

‘No change for 48 hours’ 

Meanwhile, parts of tricity, too, remained engulfed in smog on Tuesday. The condition will prevail in Chandigarh for the next 48 hours, said the weatherman. Surender Paul, director of the meteorological department’s local unit, attributed it to the prevailing weather and stubble burning in adjoining areas.

“The particulate matter gathered in the air is not being lifted. It has created a stable mass,” he said. “The particulate matter traps water, resulting in poor visibility. It will continue for the next 48 hours.”

Shatabdi, two other trains delayed

The morning Shatabdi from Delhi that reaches Chandigarh at 11 am arrived here at 1:30 pm. The Unachahar Express between Prayag and Chandigarh was delayed by 5.5 hours while Howrah-Kalka train was delayed by 9 hours.