At least 128 flights cancelled, 195 delayed as visibility improves at Delhi IGI airport

New Delhi: Delhi was shrouded in dense fog and toxic smog on Monday morning, as another harsh winter day began for the national capital and its surrounding regions. Atleast 128 flights were cancelled and another 195 delayed at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport due to dense fog.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an orange alert for fog in Delhi, warning of extremely low visibility.

Visibility deteriorated sharply late on Sunday night and remained poor through the early hours of Monday, making road, rail and air travel hazardous. Air quality also worsened, slipping back into the ‘severe’ category and raising fresh health concerns for residents.

Large parts of Delhi-NCR, including the AIIMS flyover and Sector 37 in Noida, were engulfed in thick haze. Vehicles were seen moving cautiously, with headlights barely piercing the polluted air.

Delhi’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) was reportedly recorded at 403 on Monday, with readings crossing 400 at 25 monitoring stations. The worst-affected areas included Vivek Vihar (458), Anand Vihar (456), Rohini (443) and Wazirpur (443), underscoring the extremely hazardous air quality across wide stretches of the city.

The impact on rail services was significant. Several trains, including the Rajdhani Express, Vande Bharat and Jan Shatabdi, were delayed due to fog. As per media reports, the Ranchi-New Delhi Rajdhani Express reached its destination over 10 hours late.

128 flight cancellations, 195 delays and 8 diversions

Air travel was badly disrupted as visibility dropped to between 100 and 150 metres at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport during the morning, according to media reports.

Heavy fog led to the cancellation of at least 128 flights, the diversion of eight services, and delays to nearly 200 others at Delh airport.

According to officials, 64 departures and 64 arrivals were cancelled, while eight flights were diverted owing to poor visibility. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) issued customer support numbers of various airlines for enhanced passenger support.

In a post on X, Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) noted that runway visibility was gradually improving, though some departures and arrivals continued to be affected.

Data from the flight-tracking platform Flightradar24.com confirmed that close to 200 flights were delayed, with average departure times pushed back by around 24 minutes.

Air India, in a statement, said dense fog and low visibility forecast across northern India, including Delhi, were likely to affect flight operations. The airline said it had taken proactive measures to minimise disruption and assured passengers that ground teams would provide assistance in case of delays, diversions or cancellations.

Air India further advised passengers that its FogCare initiative enables those booked on flights likely to be disrupted during periods of fog to receive advance notifications on their registered mobile numbers. Travellers are given the option to reschedule their flights at no additional cost or to cancel their bookings and obtain a full refund without penalty.

Earlier, an Air India Express flight that departed Goa’s Mopa Airport at 11:55 pm on Sunday was stranded at Ahmedabad Airport after being diverted. The flight, scheduled to land at Delhi’s Terminal 1 at 2:35 am, could not proceed as Jaipur Airport was already congested due to multiple diversions caused by foggy conditions.

IndiGo, in a statement on X, said, “Foggy conditions remain in place across Delhi and several airports in northern India, with visibility yet to improve fully. As a result, the earlier impact on flight movements is likely to extend into the noon hours, and some delays may continue.”

CM urges shared transport to beat pollution

According to a statement from the Delhi Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), the government has stressed that meaningful pollution control cannot be achieved without cutting down the number of vehicles on the roads. To this end, it is actively promoting shared transport and electric mobility. The Delhi Government is also expanding the network of automated fitness testing centres for commercial vehicles to ensure that no polluting vehicle is allowed to operate in the capital.

The Delhi Transport Department also stepped up enforcement drives across the city. According to an official release, around 28 goods vehicles, including interstate buses, were impounded, taking the total number of vehicles seized this month for violating pollution norms to nearly 100.

The Chief Minister said the central aim of the Delhi Government’s transport policy is to reduce vehicular density on roads while ensuring that commuters continue to travel comfortably and without disruption. The policy seeks to maximise passenger movement using a limited number of vehicles, helping to ease traffic congestion and curb pollution.

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta added that the government remains in regular discussions with transport network companies such as Ola and Uber, urging them to give greater emphasis to shared rides, increase the participation of women drivers, and promote environmentally sustainable services.

Shared taxi services, which were operational in Delhi before the COVID-19 pandemic but were later suspended, are now being considered for revival to offer affordable and convenient travel options. The Chief Minister said an upcoming meeting with transport network companies will focus on restarting shared taxi services, boosting the number of women drivers, and exploring the use of private electric vehicles in taxi operations.

She noted that the government is seriously examining ways to ensure that fewer vehicles can safely, conveniently and affordably transport more passengers, thereby reducing traffic congestion and pollution across the city.

(With PTI and ANI inputs)