Air India alerts flyers as dense fog envelops Delhi, parts of North and eastern India

Air India issued another passenger advisory on Saturday as weather forecasts continued to indicate dense fog conditions across Delhi, other parts of India with the onset of winter. The Tata Group airline said that flight schedules across the network are likely to be affected with the current weather forecast.

“Weather forecasts continue to indicate dense fog conditions with reduced visibility in Delhi and parts of northern and eastern India tomorrow morning. This will affect flight schedules across the network. We have taken proactive steps to minimise disruptions,” Air India said in a post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).

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“Passengers booked on select flights during the fog window will continue to receive advance alerts under our FogCare initiative, with the option to change flights without additional payment or seek a full refund without penalty”, Air India further said in its post.

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On Saturday, the Delhi Airport issued a similar advisory stating that low visibility procedures are in progress at the air hub. It advised flyers to reach out to their respective airlines to keep a track on flight status.

Over 120 flights cancelled at Delhi Airport

At least 129 flights were cancelled at Indira Gandhi International Airport IGI) in Delhi on Saturday, December 20 as dense fog conditions prevailed.

In the afternoon, the IGI airport told news wire ANI in a statement that 66 arrivals and 63 departures had been cancelled for the day at the airport. Meanwhile, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and several airlines warned of fog-induced flight delays.

Cold wave grips Delhi, mercury dips in northern states

The national capital experienced its first cold wave of the season, recording its coldest December day this year so far on Saturday, 20 December as per a report by news wire PTI.

India Meteorological Department (IMD) declares cold wave conditions when the maximum temperature falls 4.5 to 6.4 degrees Celsius below normal. On Saturday, the minimum temperature was recorded at 6.1 degrees Celsius, about two degrees below normal, the weather office said.

While the Safdarjung station recorded a maximum temperature of 16.9 degrees Celsius, 5.3 degrees below the season's normal, Palam, another key monitoring station, recorded a high of 16.3 degrees Celsius, 5.6 notches below normal.

In other northern states, mercury hovered around its wintry lows and normal life was impacted due to foggy conditions, with red alert warning issued in Uttar Pradesh. The sun was largely obscured by clouds and pollutants lingering in the atmosphere, leading to reduced visibility.