Dense Fog In Delhi Hit Air, Rail Traffic; 5 Flights Diverted, Over 100 Trains Delayed

Visibility dipped considerably due to the dense fog. It was zero at Palam and 300 metres at Safdarjung, at 5.30 am. Later, visibility improved at Palam (50 metres) but dipped by another 100 metres at Safdarjung around 8.30 am.

Delhi was enveloped in dense fog on Friday with the minimum temperature settling at 6.4 degrees Celsius.

New Delhi: Delhi was enveloped in dense fog on Friday with the minimum temperature settling at 6.4 degrees Celsius. At least five flights have been diverted, while more than 100 trains are running late due to fog in Delhi today. Visibility dipped considerably due to the dense fog. It was zero at Palam and 300 metres at Safdarjung, at 5.30 am. Later, visibility improved at Palam (50 metres) but dipped by another 100 metres at Safdarjung around 8.30 am. Due to low visibility on the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, as many as 12 flights are running late. "Five flights have been diverted since morning at Delhi Airport due to low visibility and around 12 flights are running late," said an official. The flight operations at the airport have been affected due to bad weather. While takeoffs and landings continue, some flights are impacted due to crew operational limitations. "Due to bad weather, flight operations at Delhi airport are affected. All CAT-II compliant pilots are able to operate," airport authorities tweeted. The airport authorities have requested the passengers to contact the airline concerned for updated flight information. "Any inconvenience caused is regretted," it added. On the other hand, the railway official has informed that the rail traffic under the Northern Railways is also suffering due to dense fog with delays of up to two hours on Friday. The Northern Railway comprises five divisions -- Ambala, Delhi, Ferozepur, Lucknow and Moradabad covering Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi and Chandigarh. Trains on all routes from Delhi via Tundla, Rewari, Agra, Ambala Moradabad, Saharanpur, Bhatinda have been affected by fog. A total of 109 trains are facing delays, officials said. The Delhi-Agra route saw a delay in the running of the most number of trains, 32, including the Nizamuddin Express which runs between Hyderabad Decan and Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station, and the Chennai Central to New Delhi Grand Trunk Express, which have been delayed for around an hour. The Taj Express which leaves New Delhi at 6:45 am was rescheduled and left the city at 8:50 am. (with inputs from agencies)