Flight services in Delhi and other regions in Northern India are likely to experience disruptions due to dense fog and reduced visibility, which has triggered travel advisories among major airlines for passengers on Thursday morning.
Airlines warn passengers of the possibility of delays
SpiceJet, Air India, and IndiGo have informed passengers about possible "delays and cancellations," asking passengers to check the status of their flights before leaving for the airport.
Also Read | Not possible within '9-10 months': Delhi minister apologises over pollution
Sharing a post on its official handle on social media platform X, SpiceJet informed that dense fog could affect all departures, arrivals, and consequential flights to Delhi.
Air India has also come up with an advisory saying that the passengers might face poor visibility in the next few days. This was informed by the airline as the airports where they operate might face fog. This includes the prime airport in Delhi. This includes the airports present in the northern as well as the eastern parts of the country. Some major cities are also included.
Air India launches FogCare mitigations
As a measure of winter preparedness, Air India introduced their ‘FogCare’ programme. As per this facility, passengers holding reservations on planes that could get delayed due to fog conditions get prior notifications on their registered phone numbers. The airlines also mentioned that passengers are free to reschedule their flights or get a complete refund, in case they are eligible.
In IndiGo’s notification for the same region of Chandigarh, they mentioned that due to “dense fog in #Chandigarh, visibility has reduced drastically, impacting flight operations. As a precaution, some flights have been cancelled through the day to prioritise safety and help minimise extended waiting at the airport.”
Delhi airport declares low visibility conditions
In the early hours of Thursday, the Delhi Airport Authority stated that the airport was under Low Visibility Procedures and requested the passengers to check with their airlines for the latest updates. Later, the airport stated that flights were operating under CAT III conditions, which may cause delays.
“We are working closely with all stakeholders to minimise inconvenience to passengers," said a statement from airport authorities.
Also Read | WFH, vehicle entry ban and more: What anti-pollution measures kick in across Delhi today?
Fog to persist on these days: IMD
As per the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the possibility of shallow to moderate fog has been forecast for the morning of December 18, 20, and 23. Additionally, the weather forecasting agency also predicted the possibility of moderate to dense fog in the city of Delhi on December 21 and 22. In recent days, the visibility in the city has been affected due to heavy smog.
