On 1st February, Saturday, dense fog blanketed the national capital. Due to low visibility at Delhi airport, more than 100 flights were delayed.
As per India Today, at least 140 flights have got delayed due to the dense fog. The visibility recorded at the Indira Gandhi International airport was 50 metres at 8 am, whereas the visibility at the Hindon commercial airport had dropped to zero on Saturday morning.
Minimum of 125 flights departing from IGI airport were delayed with an average delay time of 30 minutes. Apart from this, a total of seven flights were cancelled at 8 am, as per flight tracking website, Flightradar 24.
On Saturday morning, Delhi airport shared an advisory, informing about the low visibility to the travellers. The post reads, “Update issued at 08:13 hours. Kind attention to all flyers! While landings and take offs continue at Delhi Airport, flights that are not CAT III compliant may get affected. Passengers are requested to contact the airline concerned for updated flight information. Any inconvenience caused is deeply regretted.”
Following this, Delhi airport shared another advisory, informing about the weather conditions and flight delays. The post read, “Update issued at 09:30 hours. Kind attention to all flyers! Due to inclement weather conditions in Chandigarh, Pantnagar & Dharamshala, departures may be impacted at Delhi Airport. Passengers are requested to contact the airline concerned for updated flight information. Inconvenience caused is deeply regretted.”
Recently, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) had issued a warning of major changes in the weather across the country in the next few days. As per IMD, two western disturbances are going to be active on 1st February and 3rd February, which will affect the weather in over 20 states. There is a possibility of rain, snowfall and dense fog in many areas. This effect may continue till 5th February.
This western disturbance will have a greater effect in the northwestern states including Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana and Rajasthan. There is also a possibility of rain in Delhi-NCR for the next three days.
In view of the changing weather across the country in the next few days, people have been advised to remain alert and take necessary precautions.