Foggy days ahead, to hit flight schedules

Nearly 100 flights were delayed after dense fog descended at Delhi airport on Saturday. And it is going to get worse.

Nearly 100 flights were delayed after dense fog descended at Delhi airport on Saturday. And it is going to get worse.

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With visibility going below 50 metres at the Indira Gandhi International airport on Saturday morning, 13 flights had to be diverted to nearby airports. The fog wreaked havoc on flight operations at the airport and travellers going on their Christmas holiday.

“All the conditions for a continuing spell of dense fog are present in the atmosphere,” said RK Jenamani, director-in-charge, IGIA meteorological unit. “There is 100% humidity and the temperature has dipped. There is almost no wind movement present to clear the fog away,” he said.

Foggy conditions will continue for the next couple of days in the mornings and evenings. On Saturday, morning arrivals and departures were delayed more than six hours, with most of them operating only in the afternoon.

Improved visibility was offset by the backlog, with passengers either stuck inside aircraft or at the terminal.