During the early hours of the morning of Wednesday, the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) in Delhi faced a major weather-related disruption as the national capital was the site of the incident. The very low visibility condition was the main reason for the 148 flight cancellations, and more than 150 other flights were delayed.
The HT report said that of the total cancellations, 78 flights were incoming and 70 were outgoing. The major carriers, Indigo, Air India, and SpiceJet, were the first to alert their customers and issue travel advice warnings, which resulted in the passengers contacting the airlines to check their respective flight statuses before proceeding to the airport.
Previously, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) had predicted moderate to dense fog for New Year’s Eve and had issued a yellow alert. A few meters was the visibility in Delhi early morning and the pictures released by ANI, the news agency, also pointed out that the situation significantly disrupted air traffic as well as street transport in the areas surrounding the capital.
Delhi’s IGI Airport also acknowledged the situation and said that the weather was not going to improve hence, more delays and cancellations could be expected. The airport in its passenger advisory stated that the flight movements were being carried out under CAT III protocols which permit aircraft to land in very low visibility but this might still cause operational delays.
The airport has reported, “Currently, dense fog conditions and flight operations under CAT III are the cause for possible delays or cancellations. Ground personnel are on the site and are helping the passengers actively.” Moreover, the airport has advised the travelers to keep contacting their airlines for the most recent updates.
Also, the rail services were affected as the train movement was slow across several routes due to the poor visibility. During the foggy situations, people were seen in the capital waiting at the railway stations for their trains which were delayed because of the fog.
Moreover, Delhi’s air quality was still very bad, which added to the city’s problems. As reported by the Sameer application of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) was 383 at 6:05 am on Wednesday which put it in the “very poor” category and near “severe” conditions.
The airlines, however, took steps to reduce the inconveniences faced by the passengers. Air India news that it would be expecting schedule disruptions and delays to be trafficked all over its network. Moreover, as a measure to reduce the waiting time for the passengers, the airline already cancelled the morning flights likely to be affected by fog in advance.
Air India put its FogCare initiative at the top of the list, as it is a benefit program for the passengers which allows eligible travelers to change their flights without paying any extra fee or to ask for a full refund during the period affected by fog.
IndiGo airlines stated that bad weather in Delhi and other airports in the North would result in the delay and disruption of both the arrivals and the departures all throughout the day. The airline said that it had made some operational changes and it would notify the passengers about any changes through the registered contact numbers as well as digital channels.
SpiceJet also gave a heads up that all flights flying out, flying in and flights that are dependent on the fog could be affected and hence, it was better for the passengers to keep themselves updated on the status of their flights.
The last day of 2025 has seen weather conditions playing havoc with transport services and thus, authorities and airlines have together called upon the travelers to be very careful, plan their journey well and keep an eye on the current situation.
