Delhi Air Pollution: Over 300 Flights Delayed as Dense Fog Hits National Capital, Several Diverted

Dense fog in Delhi has caused significant disruptions to flight operations. Over 300 flights were delayed by at least 30 minutes compared to their scheduled departure times. The worst conditions were observed in the morning, with several flights, preparing to land at New Delhi, being diverted to Jaipur and Lucknow. From 9:45 AM to 3:15 AM, 11 flights, including two international ones, were diverted one after the other.

Flights departing from IGI Airport faced an average delay of 51 minutes, the highest in the past seven days. The delay in arrivals was comparatively lower, with an average delay of around five minutes, which is still considered quite high for incoming flights, as such delays are typically rare.

By 11 AM, 10 out of 11 flights, including two international Air India flights from Washington and Paris, were diverted to Jaipur. Once the weather improved, these flights were sent back to New Delhi from Jaipur. Other diverted flights included Air India services from Ahmedabad, Indore, Bengaluru, Pune, Dharamshala, and Vijayawada. SpiceJet flights from Bengaluru and Akasa flights from Pune were also rerouted. An Akasa flight from Mumbai was diverted to Lucknow.

Due to the weather and other technical reasons, around a dozen flights were cancelled, including services from Mumbai, Bengaluru, Lucknow, Kullu, Shillong, Amritsar, Dharamshala, Patna, and Hyderabad.