Delhi’s IGI Airport experienced extreme disruption as dense fog blanketed the city, forcing the suspension of departures for nearly five hours, from 4 am to 9 am. Visibility at the airport’s Palam station dropped to a low of 50 metres, severely impacting air traffic.
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The ripple effect of the weather disruption was massive, hitting travel across North India.
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The Scale of Havoc at IGI
| Incident Type | Count | Key Details |
| Flights Cancelled | 228 (131 Departures, 97 Arrivals) | Cancelled to “prioritize safety and minimize extended waiting.” |
| Flights Delayed | Over 800 | The delays continued long after the fog cleared around noon. |
| Flights Diverted | 5 | Diverted to other airports due to low visibility. |
| Train Delays | $\sim$100 | Trains also affected by the weather across the Northern Railway network. |
The CAT III Factor: Why Flights Stop
Flight operations at IGI are governed by Low-Visibility Procedures, which rely on the advanced CAT III landing system:
CAT III-Trained Pilots: Can land an aircraft with visibility as low as 50 meters.
Take-offs: Require a minimum visibility of 125 meters.
Untrained Pilots: Need visibility of around 500 meters to take off.
The delay occurs because many flights must wait at the taxiway until visibility improves or until a CAT III-trained crew takes over, creating a massive queue and causing hours of delays.
IMD Report & Government Advisory
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) recorded zero visibility at the city’s base station, Safdarjung, at 12:30 am, with Palam recording its lowest at 4 am.
The Civil Aviation Ministry issued a public advisory, asking passengers to:
Stay in touch with their airlines for real-time updates.
Regularly check airline/airport websites and apps.
Plan for additional travel time.
And then Y followed (The DGCA has initiated a review to monitor passenger inconvenience and ensure airlines are managing the situation as per their standard operating procedures).
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