150 flights affected at Delhi airport due to fog: report
Indira Gandhi Airport has asked passengers to contact their airlines for flight updates before departure this morning.
118 domestic flights were delayed at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi Airport on Monday due to bad weather, news agency ANI reported. All 32 inbound flights were affected as dense fog blanketed the national capital and parts of north India, affecting rail, road and air traffic, forcing people to stay indoors due to reduced visibility.
Three flights were diverted to Jaipur – an Air India Express from Sharjah, a SpiceJet service from Ahmedabad and another SpiceJet flight from Pune, a Delhi airport official told ANI.
Indira Gandhi Airport has asked passengers to contact their airlines for flight updates before departure this morning. “Due to dense fog, flight operations at Delhi airport may be affected,” it said on Twitter.
Delhi recorded its fifth consecutive day of cold weather on Monday, with the mercury dropping to 3.8°C at Safdarjung, the city’s representative weather station, and 3.2°C at Ayanagar.
A cold wave is declared in the region when the minimum temperature is 4.5 degree Celsius or more, or falls to 4 degree Celsius or less.
Safdarjung has been experiencing a cold wave since January 5 when the mercury dipped to 3 degrees Celsius. On Friday, Delhi will see a minimum of 4 degrees Celsius; Saturday was 2.2°C and Sunday was 1.9°C.
A combination of fog, low wind speed and low temperatures pushed the air quality index to the ‘severe’ category. Tertiary or severe category measures are in place in Delhi as part of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).
The city has already extended winter vacation for several schools by a week. Many private schools are set to open on Monday.
