Dense fog enveloped Delhi on Monday, reducing visibility to zero at the Indira Gandhi International Airport. Eight flights were diverted from the Delhi airport on Monday morning due to bad weather, leading the Delhi airport to issue an advisory urging passengers to contact their respective airlines for flight information.
The air quality index (AQI) recorded 411 (severe category) at 8 am, which later settled at 383 (very poor category) at 4 pm. The AQI reached 999 (very hazardous level) at 4 pm in Noida and Ghaziabad. The 24-hour AQI on Sunday was 411. As the cold wave tightened its grip on North India, it was a cold Christmas morning in the national capital. The minimum temperature was recorded at 7.8 degrees Celsius, normal for this time of the year.
According to the air quality bulletin for Delhi, the air quality is likely to improve but remain in the “very poor” category on Tuesday. It is expected to deteriorate and enter the “severe” category on Wednesday, while it is likely to be in the upper end of the “very poor” category on Thursday.
Dense fog resulted in a major accident on Monday on the Hapur-Bulandshahr highway in Uttar Pradesh.
According to officials, a total of seven flights were diverted to Jaipur in Rajasthan, and one was diverted to Ahmedabad in Gujarat. The diversions occurred between 6 am and 9 am, as stated by the officials. Similarly, dense fog also affected several flight operations at Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, and Mumbai. While passengers expressed complaints of delays and disruptions on social media, airlines, including IndiGo and SpiceJet, informed them about the ‘low visibility.’
“While landings and take-offs continue at Delhi Airport, flights that are not CAT III compliant may be affected. Passengers are requested to contact the concerned airline for updated flight information. Any inconvenience caused is deeply regretted,” reads the advisory issued by Delhi Airport. The airport authorities initiated the anti-fog landing system, technically called the CAT III Instrument Landing System. The CAT III system assists with a precision approach and landing when the runway visibility level is low.
While landings and take offs continue at Delhi Airport, flights that are not CAT III compliant may be affected. The CAT III instrument landing system is an anti-fog landing system initiated during poor visibility. While CAT III helps with a precision approach for landing, it will not be helpful if the visibility level is below 50 feet.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a report indicating that very dense fog had descended upon the airport early in the morning, with the Runway Visual Range (RVR) on all runways registering between 125 to 175 metres.
This compelled the implementation of CAT IIIB operations for both takeoffs and landings. Very dense fog with zero visibility prevailed at IGI Airport since 0530 hrs IST today. RVR at all runways was 125 to 175m, and operations are under CAT IIIB, as per IMD in a post on X.
Foggy conditions improved as the day wore on, and around 9:45 AM, runway visibility was above 500 meters at IGI airport.
Similarly, several flight operations at Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, and Mumbai were affected due to dense fog engulfing parts of the states, reducing visibility. While passengers complained of delays and disruptions on social media, airlines, including IndiGo and SpiceJet, informed them about the ‘low visibility.’
SpiceJet has issued a notification regarding the departure and arrival of its flights, which reads, “Due to bad weather in Delhi (DEL), all departures/arrivals and their consequential flights may get affected. Passengers are requested to check their flight status via bit.y/2tG9xBx.” Flights at Hyderabad Airport were also disrupted due to the bad weather, as reported by Vistara.
Due to the ongoing tourist season ahead of the New Year and Christmas celebrations, most major airports, including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad, have increased their infrastructure to accommodate the surge in winter travel - from more entry gates to an increase in X-ray machines to immigration counters. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) data showed that passengers carried by domestic airlines during January-November 2023 were 1382.34 lakhs, compared to 1105.10 lakhs during the corresponding period of the previous year, registering annual growth of 25.09 percent and monthly growth of 9.06 percent.
Meanwhile, a major accident took place today on the Hapur-Bulandshahr highway in Uttar Pradesh due to the prevailing foggy conditions in the state, police said. More than a dozen vehicles collided in a chain reaction amid dense fog that has shrouded the region.
The accident took place in the Hafizpur Kotwali area of Hapur, approximately 86 km from the national capital. Videos of the accident show vehicles piled up on the highway. Several of the cars involved in the crash were severely damaged. Emergency services were quickly dispatched to rescue those injured in the crash. Police officials were also seen at the accident site, guiding traffic.
