Delhi wakes up to thick fog as visibility drops to 200 meters; IGI Airport issues advisory

Delhi woke up to a thick blanket of fog on Tuesday morning, reducing visibility across regions of the national capital, affecting transport operations. According to Delhi Airport authorities, visibility at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport dropped to around 200 metres at 6:00 am on January 6, while the temperature hovered near 8 degrees Celsius.

IMD forecast: Fog to persist till January 11

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast shallow to dense fog during mornings over Delhi for the next few days. In its extended forecast till January 11, the weather agency predicted foggy conditions on all days.

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IMD has forecasted that the highest temperature in Delhi will continue to hover around 18 to 20 degrees Celsius, and the minimum will range between 6 to 8 degrees Celsius. Both minimum and maximum temperatures are expected to remain close to their normal marks for this period.

In a broader regional perspective, IMD noted that dense fog conditions are “very likely to continue during morning hours over northwest, central, east & northeast India during next 4-5 days.” Cold wave conditions have been forecast in states such as Rajasthan, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Punjab and Jharkhand, with cold to severe cold day conditions predicted in Rajasthan, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar.

Flight operations continue under CAT III

In view of low visibility, Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport issued a passenger advisory early Tuesday morning, confirming that flight operations were continuing under CAT III conditions. “Flight operations continue to be in CAT III. Both arrivals and departures are taking place, though some flights may experience delays or disruptions. Passengers are requested to contact their respective airlines for the latest flight information,” the advisory stated.

IndiGo also issued a travel advisory, warning that fog and low visibility could impact flights at several airports, including Delhi, Amritsar, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Guwahati, Varanasi, Ranchi and Hindon. The airline said, "Low visibility and fog over #Delhi, #Amritsar, #Bhopal, #Chandigarh, #Guwahati, #Varanasi, #Ranchi and #Hindon (Airport) may impact flight schedules. We are closely monitoring the weather and doing our best to get you where you need to be, safely and smoothly."

It further added, "We request that you stay updated on your flight status via our website or app. Please be assured that our teams are here to assist you at every step and provide full support. We look forward to clearer skies and a swift return to our regular schedule. Thank you for your patience and understanding."

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Delhi AQI remains in ‘poor’ category

Besides fog, the air quality in Delhi continued to remain poor. According to CPCB data, the average AQI of the city was 286 at 8 am on Tuesday, which falls under the "poor" category.

As many as 19 out of 37 monitoring stations reported "very poor" air quality. Bawana and IGI Airport had the lowest AQI with recordings at 189 and 180, while the majority of other areas were kept in the "poor" range.