A total of 14 flights were diverted and many were delayed at the Delhi airport on Monday as bad weather conditions in the national capital resulted in poor visibility impacting aircraft operations, according to an official. Air India, SpiceJet and IndiGo informed passengers through X that flights may be affected due to poor visibility conditions in the national capital, which is also grappling with high pollution levels.
Out of the 14 flights, 13 were diverted to Jaipur and 1 to Dehradun, the official said and added that the diversions happened between 8.30 am and 3 pm. Some of the pilots were not trained for CAT III operations due to which flights had to be diverted. Broadly, CAT III trained pilots are allowed to take off or land planes at very low visibility conditions.
“Low visibility procedures are in progress at Delhi airport. All flight operations are at present normal,” Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) said in a post on X early morning on Monday. DIAL operates the Indira Gandhi International Airport, which handles around 1,400 flight movements daily. It also advised passengers to contact the airlines concerned for updated flight information.
Domestic air travel in India set a new record on Sunday. Over 5 lakh passengers flew, marking a first-time occurrence. The surge is attributed to the festive and wedding seasons. Airlines operated over 3,000 flights to accommodate the demand. Flight occupancy rates soared above 90 percent. However, this led to a slight dip in on-time performance for some airlines.
“Poor visibility in Delhi and some parts of Northern India are affecting flight operations to and from Delhi today. Guests are advised to start early for the airport, as slow traffic may delay your movement,” Air India said in a post on Monday afternoon. SpiceJet, in an early morning post on Monday, said that due to poor visibility in Delhi, all departures/arrivals and their consequential flights may get affected.
“#6ETravelAdvisory: Fog is currently affecting visibility in Delhi, which may result in slow moving traffic and delays in flight schedules,” IndiGo said in a post late on Sunday night.
