New Delhi: Dense fog impacted flights at Delhi airport on Wednesday as visibility dropped to 100 metres for nearly three hours.
Over 300 flights were delayed, according to FlightRadar24. Officials at Indira Gandhi International Airport said that no flight was diverted or cancelled.
According to India Meteorological Department, IGI Airport recorded the lowest visibility of 100 metres from 5.30am to 8.30am, which improved thereafter, becoming 300 metres at 9.30am.
Following the dip in visibility, Delhi airport warned about the delays on X at 5.45am. “While landings and take-offs continue at Delhi Airport, flights that are not CAT III compliant may get affected. Passengers are requested to contact the airline concerned for updated flight information. Any inconvenience is deeply regretted,” it said.
IMD has predicted moderate to dense fog on Thursday.
The data from FlightRadar24 showed that more than 300 flights were delayed at IGI Airport, and the average delay was 18 minutes. “However, no flight was diverted or cancelled due to low visibility. Some flights were also delayed due to weather conditions at the origin airport,” an airport official said.
Officials said the airport initiates low visibility procedures (LVP) — measures aimed at making landing for flights easier when visibility dips below 800 metres.
During such a period, CAT-I procedures, which are a basic set of precautions, are initiated for visibility above 550 metres. Those pilots who are CAT-II compliant are allowed to land when visibility is between 275-550 metres.
However, CAT-III A and B-compliant pilots can land when visibility is below 275 metres and even when it is as low as 50 metres. “The pilots who are trained in CAT III procedures can make an aircraft land with a minimum visibility of 50 metres, while an aircraft can take off with a visibility of 125 metres,” an official had said earlier.
This season, dense fog happened early, with the first spell recorded from Nov 13 onwards.
