Trains and flights were hit for the second day in a row as a thick blanket of fog enveloped the National Capital Region on Tuesday with visibility dropping considerably. According to the India Meteorological Department, general visibility improved to 200 metres at IGI Airport as compared to zero metres in the past two days.
As many as 24 flights were delayed and over six cancelled. While 21 trains were cancelled and 64 delayed besides 24 rescheduled due to heavy fog in several parts of northern India.
The runway visual range (RVR) was between 800 and 1,000 metres early on Tuesday morning. This is also an improvement, as RVR was in the range of 50-100 metres in the last two days.
Take-offs at the IGIA require a minimum RVR of 125 metres and landings can take place with a minimum RVR of 50 metres. landing of almost all flights were delayed, an official at IGI Airport said. The visibility later improved to 100 metres at 3 am and to 200 metres at 6 am.
“Operations this morning are normal thus far as visibility at DEl is within minimums, but may change at short notice,” Vistara airline informed passengers on Twitter.
The minimum temperature was recorded at 8.4 degrees Celsius, a notch above the season’s average. The maximum is likely to hover around 21 degrees Celsius on Wednesday. The sky will remain clear during the day, IMD said.