Delhi cold wave: Thick fog continues; 50 flights affected, 30 trains running behind schedule

Delhi continued to reel under severe cold wave conditions on Tuesday morning with residents waking up to dense fog, significantly impacting visibility in various areas. News agency ANI reported that nearly 30 flights departing from Delhi were delayed, while 17 others were cancelled. On the other hand, nearly 30 trains were running behind their schedule in Delhi today. The minimum temperature was recorded at 5 degrees Celsius on Tuesday. It was a bit higher than January 15's temperature of 3.3 degree Celsius which was the season's lowest so far.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the Palam (VIDP) and Safdarjung Airports in the city experienced visibilities of only 500 meters in the morning. The weather agency said a fog patch can be seen over the northern and north-eastern states with low visibility areas recorded in the airports situated in these states.

“Layer of fog is seen from Punjab to northeast India across Haryana, North MP, UP, Bihar and West Bengal at 0530 hrs IST. The patches of fog are also seen along the east coast of India as shown in the attached Satellite Imagery,” the IMD said in a post on X.

Due to adverse weather conditions and delayed flights, the authorities at Delhi Airport have implemented Low Visibility Procedures.

"Low Visibility Procedures are in progress at Delhi Airport. All flight operations are presently normal. Passengers are requested to contact the airline concerned for updated flight information," the Delhi airport said in a statement at 6.50 am.

Due to the current circumstances, the Delhi airport has issued a statement advising passengers that flights not equipped for low-visibility landings, also known as Category III compliant flights, may encounter delays or diversions.

"While landing and takeoffs continue at Delhi Airport, flights that are not CAT III compliant may get affected. Passengers are requested to contact the airline concerned for updated flight information. Any inconvenience caused is deeply regretted," it said.

Over the last 48 hours, Delhi IGI Airport has been a witness many chaotic scenes as stranded passengers had to face lengthy delays. The terminals saw chaotic scenes as travellers voiced their dissatisfaction.

> Operationalisation of CAT III-Enabled 4th Runway: Delhi Airport has been directed to expedite the operationalization of the CAT III-enabled 4th runway, supplementing the existing CAT III runway. The goal is to meet the approval standards set by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

> Issuance of SOP for Airlines: The DGCA on Monday issued standard operating procedures for the airlines. It asked the airlines to publish accurate real-time information regarding delays in their flights due to fog. The regulator said that this information shall be published on the website of the airline, and the passengers should be informed through SMS/ WhatsApp and email.

The trains which are running late are Rani Kamalapati- Hazrat Nizamuddin Vande Bharat and Howrah-Delhi Rajdhani Express