Dense fog disrupts flights, over 118 cancelled at IGI Airport

Dense fog blanketed Delhi early Tuesday, causing visibility to drop sharply in several areas, which led to large-scale flight cancellations and delays at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport. As of around 9.30 am, a total of 118 flights had been cancelled, while over 200 flights were delayed. At least 18 flights were also diverted, officials said.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had issued a ‘yellow’ alert for the city till 9 am in view of the fog. According to the weather office, visibility at Safdarjung stood at 100 metres at 7.30 am, which improved to 200 metres by 8.30 am. At Palam, moderate fog was observed with visibility registered around 300 metres at 8.30 am, it added.

An official said 60 arrivals and 58 departures were cancelled while 16 flights were diverted at the airport. The Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), operated by DIAL, handles around 1,300 flights daily.

Against the backdrop of fog and low visibility conditions, the civil aviation ministry on Tuesday said airlines have been instructed to strictly comply with passenger facilitation norms.

These include “timely flight information, meals for delayed passengers, rebooking or refunds in case of cancellations, no denial of boarding after timely check-in, baggage facilitation and prompt grievance redressal”. Information from the flight tracking website Flightradar24.com showed that 130 flights were delayed on Tuesday morning at the airport and the average delay time for departures was around 28 minutes.  In a post on X in the morning, Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) said all flight operations continue as normal and flights that are not CAT III compliant may get affected. CAT III compliance allows pilots to operate flights in low-visibility conditions.

The foggy weather also affected train services, adding to travel disruptions across the city for a second consecutive day. The Airport Authority of India (AAI) issued an advisory on Tuesday, warning of possible flight delays at select airports in Northern India due to reduced visibility.

In a post on X, the AAI urged passengers to remain in touch with airlines for the latest updates and to factor in extra time for airport procedures. Due to prevailing fog conditions today, 30 December 2025, visibility levels across Northern India have reduced at select airports.

This may impact flight operations, including possible delays. Passengers are advised to stay in close contact with their respective airlines through official communication channels for the latest flight updates. Travellers should also plan their journeys accordingly by allowing additional time for airport arrival and check-in procedures,” said AAI.

The statutory body also said assistance teams had been deployed at affected airports to support passengers on the ground. In its travel advisory, released late last night, IndiGo had warned of possible disruptions at major airports across north India due to prevailing fog conditions.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 388 on Tuesday morning, marking a marginal improvement from Monday, when the city’s air quality stood at the ‘severe’ category with a reading of 401. Data from the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) Sameer app on Tuesday showed 16 air quality monitoring stations in the ‘severe’ category, while 21 stations recorded air quality in the ‘very poor’ category. Jahangirpuri and Anand Vihar registered the worst air quality, with AQI levels touching 451, the data showed.

Delhi’s air quality is likely to remain in the ‘very poor’ category on Tuesday and Wednesday, and is expected to deteriorate further to the ‘severe’ category on January 1, 2026, as per the Air Quality Early Warning System. The outlook for the subsequent six days indicates that air quality is likely to stay in the ‘very poor’ range.

The minimum temperature in the city was recorded at 9.4 degrees Celsius on Tuesday morning, with the IMD issuing an ‘orange’ alert and forecasting very dense fog during the day. It said that the maximum temperature is expected to hover around 21 degrees Celsius, and relative humidity levels are likely to remain near 100 per cent. At the Palam station, the minimum temperature was registered at 8.1 degrees Celsius, followed by 8.6 degrees Celsius at the Ridge, 9.2 degrees Celsius at the Lodhi Road station, 9.4 degrees Celsius at the Safdarjung station, and 9.6 degrees Celsius at Ayanagar.