Delhi dense fog: 19 flights diverted, over 200 delayed; 81 trains hit amid zero visibility

Dense fog in Delhi caused 19 flight diversions and over 200 delays at the airport, while 81 trains were impacted. The air quality worsened to ‘very bad’.

As many as 19 flights were diverted at the Delhi airport early Saturday morning, and over 200 flights were delayed as low visibility due to dense fog impacted operations for the second straight day. India's largest airline IndiGo had temporarily put arrivals and departures on hold at the airport early in the morning.

A man feeds seagulls in the waters of river Yamuna engulfed in fog on a cold winter morning in New Delhi on January 4, 2025. (Arun Sankar/AFP)

An official said 19 flights were diverted at the airport between 12.15 am and 1.30 am due to reduced visibility.

For the second straight morning, dense fog over Delhi caused visibility to drop to zero in a number of locations, causing 81 trains to be delayed.

News agency PTI reported that over 80 trains were delayed, with the Varanasi Vande Bharat Express running 14 hours late and the New Delhi Vande Bharat Express delayed by over four hours. Additionally, 51 flights had to be rerouted due to dense fog in Delhi.

This comes a day after the national capital's airport experienced over 400 flight delays on Friday caused by poor visibility due to heavy fog. While landings and takeoffs continue, non-CAT III compliant aircraft may face challenges. The CAT III system enables operations in low-visibility

The Delhi airport sent out travel advice to travellers, warning them of potential flight delays and advising them to remain in touch with their individual airlines.

The Central Pollution Control Board reports that the air quality in Delhi-NCR has worsened to the 'very bad' category, with the national capital's Air Quality Index (AQI) standing at 383 on Saturday.

This morning, the city awoke to a cold morning with highs of about 7 degrees Celsius and dense fog that made it impossible to see in many places. Travel operations suffered greatly due to this.

According to the Met Office, vision was completely lost starting at 11:30 pm on Friday at Palam and 12:30 am at Safdarjung. Additionally, the national capital was under an orange notice from the India Meteorological Department, warning citizens to be ready for the rain that is expected to continue to batter the city on January 6.

At 7am, there was no general visibility due to extremely thick fog at Indira Gandhi International Airport.

Its runways have a Runway Visual Range (RVR) of 100–250 meters under CAT III conditions. According to the Met office, since 11:30pm on Friday, there has been extremely thick fog, zero visibility, and CAT III conditions at the airport.

According to the Northern Railway, 22 trains were delayed by around eight hours, while 59 trains were delayed by up to six hours.

Delhi residents were observed congregating around bonfires in reaction to the cold weather, and when the temperature continued to drop, others sought refuge in night houses.

Delhi is now experiencing heavy fog and severe air pollution. In response, authorities recommend that citizens take precautions to safeguard their health, minimise their exposure, and avoid being outside during periods of excessive pollution.