Flight Services Hit In Delhi As Fog Shrouds North India Amid Cold Wave; At Least 72 Delayed In Kolkata

According to the India Meteorological Department, a temperature of 12.6 degrees Celsius was recorded in Delhi at 5:30 AM. The AQI was logged at 262 at 8 AM, which comes under the 'poor' category.

Several flights were affected due to fog in the national capital amid the cold wave.

Source : PTI

As cold wave continues to prevail in north India, flight schedules were affected in Delhi on Thursday as the city had a foggy start to the day. Several flights were delayed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport due to the foggy weather. Meanwhile, at least 72 flights at Kolkata’s Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International (NSCBI) Airport were disrupted due to dense fog.

According to the India Meteorological Department, a temperature of 12.6 degrees Celsius was recorded in Delhi at 5:30 AM today. The Air Quality Index was logged at 262 at 8 AM, which comes under the 'poor' category.

Homeless people remained in night shelters to keep safe from the biting cold. The Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board set up nearly 235 pagoda tents for the homeless in several areas in the city, ANI reported.

Apart from the flight operations, train services were also affcted in the national capital. At least 28 trains were hit due to the morning fog today. Of these, 26 trains were running late and two others were rescheduled due to fog, India TV reported citing Indian Railways. 

Meanwhile, Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh, where the Maha Kumbh Mela is being held, witnessed dense fog in the morning today as people thronged the ghats of the Sangam to take a holy dip.

Prayagraj recorded a temperature of 12.8 degrees Celsius at 5:30 AM on Thursday, IMD said. Parts of Ayodhya were also enveloped by a thin layer of fog.

Dense Fog Hits 72 Flights At Kolkata Airport

At least 72 flights were affected due to dense fog on Thursday. Kolkata Airport director Pravat Ranjan Beuria told news ageny PTI that 39 departures and 21 arrivals were delayed due to fog, while 12 others were diverted.

"Of the 12 incoming flights, seven were diverted to Bhubaneswar, three to Ranchi, one to Chennai and one to Shamshabad," Beuria said, adding that two flights had to return to parking bays from the ramp.

These flight operations were affected between 5:00 AM and 10:00 AM. The visibility improved only after 9:00 AM and things turned normal by 10:00 AM, an AAI spokesperson said.

 The passengers faced inconvenience due to the delays. "Once morning flights are delayed due to fog, the entire schedule of airlines is disrupted, leading to a cascading effect throughout the day," an official said.

Some parts of West Bengal, including the Sainthia Junction railway station and parts of North 24 Parganas witnessed dense fog in the morning.

According to IMD, Delhi-NCR, Haryana, Western UP, Punjab, and northern Rajasthan are likely to receive rain on Janaury 23.