Travel chaos in state as fog disrupts flights, trains

Patna: Dense fog sweeping across northern India on Sunday caused widespread disruption to both air and rail travel in Bihar, leaving thousands of passengers stranded, frustrated, and facing uncertainty. The adverse weather affected major airports and railway routes, highlighting the vulnerability of transport services to winter conditions.

At Jay Prakash Narayan International Airport, a morning flight from Delhi was among several cancellations, while multiple other flights experienced delays. IndiGo’s Chennai-Patna flight (6E-539) and Patna–Ghaziabad (6E-2573) were cancelled for operational reasons, impacting 15 departures and 18 arrivals. Passengers were left scrambling for alternatives.


Suresh Kumar, travelling to Ghaziabad, said, “This reflects a complete failure in ensuring smooth flight operations. Is IndiGo 6E free to cancel flights at will? I was returning from approved leave to rejoin my office duties from Monday.”

Airport director Chandra Pratap Dwivedi said, “The visibility was fine for landing and take-off from the city airport. No flight was cancelled due to bad weather at Patna airport.” Meanwhile, at Darbhanga airport, a Delhi-bound SpiceJet flight was cancelled for operational reasons, though eight flights each landed and departed on schedule, carrying a total of 2,632 passengers. At Purnia airport, two Star Air flights to Kolkata and Ahmedabad were cancelled, and one IndiGo Kolkata-bound flight was delayed by one-and-a-half hours.

Rail passengers were similarly affected, with the New Delhi-Rajendra Nagar Terminal Tejas Rajdhani Express arriving a staggering eight hours late at Patna Junction. Dense fog along the Delhi-Kanpur-DDU-Patna mainline forced trains to operate at reduced speeds, leading to cascading delays throughout the day. Other severely delayed services included the Sampoorn Kranti Express (6 hours late), Shramjeevi Express (2 hours 31 minutes late), Magadh Express (4 hours 53 minutes late), Jansadharan Express (5 hours 11 minutes late), Poorva Express (4 hours 13 minutes late), and Vikramshila Express (4 hours 38 minutes late).

Many passengers, including those travelling in premium classes, expressed frustration over the lack of clear information regarding revised arrival times at major stations. Railway sources said the delays were unavoidable, as safety remained the top priority. “Trains are being operated strictly under winter protocols, with reduced speeds to prevent accidents in thick fog,” officials said.

IRCTC Patna joint general manager Rajesh Kumar added that passengers onboard the Tejas Rajdhani Express were provided breakfast and beverages in line with Railway Board guidelines due to the prolonged delays. Authorities have urged travellers to remain prepared for disruptions and emphasised that passenger safety takes precedence over operational convenience, even as winter fog continues to affect northern India.

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