Delhi Airport (IGI) issues travel advisory for 19 December as dense fog engulfs the region; warns for travel disruption

On December 19, residents and travellers in Delhi NCR woke up to dense fog. The visibility across major regions of Delhi, including Noida and Ghaziabad, has reduced drastically causing problems in daily movement and aviation operations. The situation prompted a quick travel advisory from the airline.The Delhi Airport’s X handle issued a travel advisory that stated,“Due to prevailing dense fog conditions, flight operations are currently being managed under CAT III conditions, which has led to disruptions in flight schedules.” It is a fact that Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) is among the busiest aviation hubs in the country. The authorities with the advisories have warned travellers of further disruptions in flight operations because of adverse weather conditions. Though the airport is equipped with all advanced Instrument Landing Systems, including CAT-III operations designed to operate under low-visibility situations, the intensity of the fog is quite high which means some disruption was unavoidable. The airlines also urged passengers to check flight statuses before starting their journeys, as schedule changes, delays, or even cancellations were possible. The situation is aggravated with worsening air quality as readings have again reached close to the ‘severe’. On 19 December, the weather conditions saw visibility plummet to less than 100 metres during the early morning hours. India Meteorological Department (IMD) issues a yellow alert On the other hand, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert for Delhi NCR because of heavy fog in the morning hours. This is a challenging situation for commuters as there will be impacts of fog and smog.Meanwhile AQI worsensAs per official monitoring data, the Air Quality Index (AQI) has reduced towards the ‘severe’ category once again. In at least 14 out of 39 monitoring stations across Delhi, AQI reading has crossed the 400 mark. Most stations outside this group remained in the ‘very poor’ zone.For travellers, these conditions mean flight disruptions, extended airport wait times, and more uncertainty. Tourist plans that include morning departures or arrivals will need to be flexible over the coming days as winter and fog conditions are ahead.As Delhi-NCR continues to fight winters, authorities are keeping a close watch on weather forecasts and air quality index. Travellers are advised to stay informed and believe only official channels.