New Delhi: Dense fog and poor visibility disrupted flight operations across northern India on Monday, prompting airlines including IndiGo, SpiceJet and Air India to issue travel advisories and warn passengers of delays and cancellations.

IndiGo cancelled around 80 flights across its network due to bad weather, according to information available on its website. Nearly half of these cancellations were from Delhi airport, while the remaining affected flights to and from cities such as Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kochi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Amritsar, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Dehradun, Indore, Patna and Bhopal, news agency PTI reported.

At around 11 am, IndiGo issued an advisory stating that foggy conditions continued across Delhi and several airports in northern India, impacting visibility and flight movements. The airline noted that the “earlier impact on flight movements is likely to extend into the noon hours, and some delays may continue.”

Later in the day, IndiGo said flight operations were slowing further as evening fog settled in around Dehradun.

“Our teams are continuing to support customers at the airport and are in close coordination with authorities to resume smoother operations as soon as conditions permit. Please keep checking your flight status for the latest information,” the airline said in a post on X.

Air India also cautioned passengers about possible disruptions on Tuesday, December 30, citing poor visibility caused by bad weather across multiple cities.

“Due to expected bad weather (poor visibility) in Delhi (DEL), Amritsar (ATQ), Jammu (IXJ), Ayodhya (AYJ), Gorakhpur (GOP), Varanasi (VNS), Darbhanga (DBR), Patna (PAT), Guwahati (GAU), and Bagdogra (IXB), all departures/arrivals and their consequential flights might get affected. Passengers are requested to keep a check on their flight status,” Air India said in a post on X.

Meanwhile, popular TV anchor and DJ Nikhil Chinapa shared the impact of Delhi’s weather conditions on social media. Posting a video from the capital late at night, he highlighted the thick smog and uncertainty around flight operations.

"It's 2:15 in the morning in Delhi, and we are supposed to fly to Goa at 5:30 in the morning, and we're not sure if the plane will take off," he shared in the video.

In subsequent posts from the airport, he joked about the low visibility, writing, “Trying to find the plane,” before later confirming that he had finally spotted the aircraft.

Visibility at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport dropped to as low as 50 metres, forcing operations under Category-III conditions, which allow aircraft to land in very low visibility. Passengers have been advised to check flight status before heading to the airport and allow extra travel time.

The disruptions come as Delhi recorded a severe air quality level, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) touching 402 at 8 am, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).