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.
Add businessleague.in as a Preferred Source
The ripple effect of the weather disruption was massive, hitting travel across North India.
Also Read | Jio 2026 Plans: Free Gemini Pro AI, 13 OTT Subscriptions
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).
Also Read | Jio 2026 Plans: Free Gemini Pro AI, 13 OTT Subscriptions
Add businessleague.in as a Preferred Source
We have taken all measures to ensure that the information provided in this article and on our social media platform is credible, verified and sourced from other Big media Houses. For any feedback or complaint, reach out to us at businessleaguein@gmail.com
