Dense fog hits Delhi airport, over 100 flights cancelled on Tuesday

Dense fog disrupted flight operations at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) on Tuesday, leading to the cancellation of at least 118 flights, diversion of 16 services and delays to over 130 flights.

According to officials, 60 arrival and 58 departure flights were cancelled at the airport, which is operated by Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL). Sixteen flights were diverted due to low visibility conditions.

Data from flight tracking website Flightradar24.com showed that 130 flights were delayed at the airport on Tuesday morning. The average delay time for departing flights was around 28 minutes.

The IGIA handles around 1,300 flight movements daily.

In a post on X earlier in the day, DIAL said that all flight operations were continuing as normal, while cautioning that flights not compliant with CAT III operations may be affected. CAT III compliance allows pilots to operate flights under low visibility conditions.

Amid foggy 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”.

Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert, which is set to remain in force until Tuesday afternoon. Authorities have warned of extremely low visibility that could severely disrupt air, road and rail movement across Delhi and large parts of north India.

The IMD cautioned that travel conditions would remain hazardous through the day and urged commuters to exercise extreme caution.