Multiple flights affected in Delhi, Punjab amid thick smog due to worsening AQI
Multiple IndiGo flights were delayed between Delhi and Punjab while three were cancelled due to worsening air quality and thick smog.
Multiple flights of IndiGo flying in and out of Delhi and Amritsar were delayed amid the thick smog engulfing the cities due to worsening air quality. An IndiGo flight from Punjab to Delhi on Tuesday night was cancelled, while many others were delayed on Tuesday and Wednesday due to low visibility.
IndiGo said in a statement on X, “Due to unfavourable weather conditions, flights to/from Amritsar are currently getting impacted. We understand the importance of your travel plans and want to ensure you're fully informed.”
Flights between Delhi and Amritsar on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings were delayed by over two hours due to very low visibility amid hazardous AQI in both the cities. Flights scheduled for 6am finally took of after 8am on Wednesday morning.
An IndiGo flight from Delhi's IGI airport to Amritsar, scheduled to take off at 8pm on Tuesday, was cancelled due to low visibility. A flight from Amritsar to Delhi scheduled for 11pm was also cancelled.
On Wednesday, a flight from Delhi Airport's Terminal 3 to Amritsar Airport, scheduled to take off at 5:45am, was also cancelled after being delayed for over two hours due to low visibility caused by smog.
Read more: Delhi air pollution: Smog causes low visibility in NCR; AQI 'very poor' for 15th day | Latest updates
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar could not attend a conference in Ludhiana, Punjab as his plane could not land at the Halwara airport here because of poor visibility on Tuesday.
His aircraft landed at the Amritsar airport before he headed to Madhya Pradesh to take part in another event. Amritsar Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sahwney said the vice president's plane landed at the Amritsar airport where he stayed for 40 minutes before cancelling his appearance at the Ludhiana event.
The air quality index in Punjab and Haryana dropped to the very poor quality, while areas in Delhi witnessed the air quality slipping into the severe and hazardous category on Wednesday morning.
Stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana after harvesting the paddy crop in October and November is often blamed for the rise in air pollution in Delhi.