Delhi Fog: 6 Flights Cancelled, 60 Delayed Due to Low Visibility

File image of a flight at Delhi Airport during fog. 

(Photo: AP)

Six flights were cancelled and over 60 delayed due to fog at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi on Tuesday morning, 2 January.

Nearly 40 domestic, and 26 international flights were among those delayed.

Trains were also hit on Tuesday as dense fog hampered visibility. Sixty-four trains were delayed and 21 cancelled while 24 were rescheduled, according to the spokesperson for the Northern Railways.

According to the Indian Meteorological department, general visibility improved to 200 metres at IGI as compared to zero metres in the past two days. Flights were completely stopped from taking off between 11 pm and 12 am on Monday night as visibility was nil.

The runway visual range (RVR) was between 800-1,000 metres early on Tuesday morning. This is also an improvement, as RVR was in the range of 50-100 metres in the last two days.

Take-offs at IGI require a minimum RVR of 125 metres and landings can take place with a minimum RVR of 50 metres.

"Operations this morning are normal thus far as visibility at DEL is within minimums, but may change at short notice," Vistara airline informed passengers on Twitter.

The minimum temperature was recorded at 8.4 degrees Celsius, a notch above the season's average. The maximum was likely to hover around 21 degrees. At 8.30 am, humidity was 97 percent and visibility improved to 300 metres.

The sky will remain clear during the day, an India Meteorological Department official said.

Monday's maximum temperature settled at 20.1 degrees Celsius, one notch above the season's average, while the minimum was recorded at 5.7 degrees Celsius, a notch below the season's average.

(With inputs from IANS and PTI)

(Breathe In, Breathe Out: Are you finding it tough to breathe polluted air? Join hands with FIT to find #PollutionKaSolution. Send in your suggestions to [e-mail] or WhatsApp @ [phone])