Fog fallout continues for second day at Delhi airport; over 500 flights delayed

Delhi's airport faced ongoing disruptions with 500 flights delayed and 131 cancelled due to fog effects from Monday, despite shallow fog on Tuesday.

Despite the national capital recording only shallow fog in the early hours of Tuesday, operations at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) were impacted for a second consecutive day, with over 500 flights delayed and at least 131 cancelled, officials said.

A layer of fog, combined with pollution, seen during a cold morning at Mandi House on Tuesday. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

The disruptions on Tuesday were largely a spillover effect of the severe fog that engulfed the region on Monday, which disrupted flight schedules across northern India and between metro cities. Officials said several cancellations on Tuesday were carried out in advance to mitigate passenger inconvenience after Monday’s chaos.

Till Tuesday evening, over 500 flights stood delayed, according to data from flight tracking website FlightRadar24. A total of 131 flights were cancelled, including 52 departures and 79 arrivals, officials aware of the matter said. A flight is classified as delayed if it is late by more than 15 minutes from its scheduled time.

On Monday, visibility had plunged to as low as 50 metres due to dense fog, forcing a halt on take-offs for around five hours between 4am and 9am. Over 800 flights were delayed through the day, more than 220 were cancelled and five were diverted, leaving thousands of passengers stranded at terminals. Many faced last-minute cancellations, while others waited for hours inside aircraft parked at bays or searched for checked-in baggage amid congestion.

Between 4am and 9am on Monday, only two departures could take place at IGIA, leading to significant congestion in the air and on the ground. Officials said this was because Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) norms allow aircraft to land with visibility as low as 50 metres, but require a minimum visibility of 125 metres for take-offs.

Airlines had earlier flagged possible impact on Tuesday, citing fog in the region. However, only shallow fog was witnessed in the capital on Tuesday.

The IMD classifies fog as shallow when visibility is between 500 and 1,000 metres, moderate when visibility is between 200 and 500 metres, dense when it is between 50 and 200 metres, and very dense when it falls below 50 metres.

IndiGo also issued a travel advisory around 4am on Tuesday, stating that fog may slow down flight movement in northern India. “Wherever possible, we are making thoughtful adjustments on the ground to reduce inconvenience and ensure any waiting time is as comfortable as possible,” it said.

In a post on X at 6.06am on Tuesday, the Delhi airport said it was still recovering from Monday’s disruption. “Flight operations are steadily recovering, but disruptions may persist for certain departures and arrivals,” it said. A second update at 12.20pm said operations were now “smooth”, though a few departures and arrivals could still be impacted.

IMD data showed visibility at the airport stood at 600 metres at 8am before improving rapidly.

Areas impacted by dense to very dense fog on Tuesday included parts of Uttar Pradesh, including Bareilly, which recorded zero visibility, and Lucknow, where visibility dipped to 50 metres in the early hours.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast shallow fog for Wednesday morning.

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