Fog returns, delays flights. Forecast foggier still

Flight operations at the IGI Airport were once again affected on Tuesday morning as dense fog made a comeback. About 50 flights were delayed while one domestic and one international flight were diverted between midnight and 2 am on Tuesday as visibility dropped below 150 metres.

Flight operations at the IGI Airport were once again affected on Tuesday morning as dense fog made a comeback. About 50 flights were delayed while one domestic and one international flight were diverted between midnight and 2 am on Tuesday as visibility dropped below 150 metres.

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While 25 flights were rescheduled due to the fog, 13 flights had to be cancelled.

The Met Department, meanwhile, forecast similar foggy conditions for Wednesday. Visibility is expected to drop to 500 metres before midnight Tuesday and further to less than 200 metres after 4.30 am on Wednesday. Visibility is likely to improve by 10.30 am.

On Monday, fog descended at the airport at 11 pm and remained till 11 am on Tuesday. As the runway visual range (RVR) started to deteriorate, the airport authorities implemented low visibility procedures. Flights were operated using the instrument landing system (ILS). During this period, 195 flights were operated—32 of them with CAT III ILS, which guides aircraft to land in near-zero visibility.

Flights from Dubai, Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, Singapore and Beijing were delayed by up to three to four hours. As a result, outbound flights to these destinations had to be rescheduled.

Though dense fog lifted early on Tuesday, it kept fluctuating and disrupted normal flight operations. “While runway 29 suffered bad visibility, runway 28 had better visibility. However, the RVR kept fluctuating and led to air traffic congestion,” said a senior airport official.

Domestic flights to Srinagar, Amritsar, Imphal, Patna and Allahabad were either delayed or rescheduled due to poor weather conditions in those cities.