30 Delhi airport flights delayed, 14 trains affected as dense fog envelops North India

Around 30 flights to and from the Delhi international airport on Tuesday are delayed due to dense fog and the consequent lowered visibility levels, airport officials said. The officials further said that the the 30 flights delayed also include international flights and not just domestic flights.

Parts of Delhi-NCR including India Gate, Sarai Kale Khan, AIIMS, Akshardham, Safdarjung, and Anand Vihar as well as Uttar Pradesh's Moradabad and Kanpur were shrouded in dense fog on Tuesday morning.

More flights are likely to be impacted during the day given the fog conditions, news agency ANI reported citing sources. Given the weather conditions, the airport issued an advisory urging passengers to check the status of their flights with the concerned airline.

This advisory read, "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." Besides this, at least 14 trains have also been impacted due to low visibility in the Northern Zone of the Indian Railways.

The India Meteorological Department has predicted dense to very dense fog over several parts of north India and other states till December 30. Parts of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh are likely to witness dense to very dense fog on December 26.

Similar weather conditions are likely to prevail in west Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi on December 27. Parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit, Baltistan, Muzaffarabad, Odisha, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura are likely to report dense fog on  December 26 and 27.

Similar weather conditions are likely to occur over parts of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura from December 28-30. The IMD also said in a release, "Dense fog contains particulate matter and other pollutants and in case exposed, it gets lodged in the lungs, clogging them and decreasing their functional capacity which increases episodes of wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath."