Fog disrupts flight ops in North India

New Delhi: Dense fog continued to disrupt flight operations across Northern India, with over 180 flights cancelled in the region and hundreds more delayed on Tuesday. About 200 flights were cancelled on Monday due to dense fog.

At Delhi airport, about 118 flights were cancelled and at least 16 flights diverted due to bad weather by 9:35 am on Monday. “Due to low visibility, 58 departures and 60 arrivals have been cancelled at the Delhi airport between 12 am and 9:35 am on Monday,” a source said. The Delhi airport handles around 1,360 flights a day.

IndiGo, India’s largest carrier, said on its website that 72 flights were cancelled on Tuesday due to adverse weather conditions across northern India. The airline cancelled 13 flights, which were scheduled for Wednesday, on Tuesday itself due to bad weather.

Currently, overall 3,320 domestic flights operate daily within India, while around 1,315 international flights operate to and from the country, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has designated December 10 to February 10 as the winter fog season for aviation operations this financial year.

During this period, airlines are required to follow the regulator’s low-visibility (CAT-IIIB) operating procedures, which include deploying aircraft equipped for such conditions and ensuring that only pilots certified for low-visibility landings are rostered