Delhi: Dense fog disrupts flights and trains
What's the story
On Friday morning, at least a dozen flights from Delhi was put on hold for nearly three hours, as a dense fog engulfed the national capital, leading to poor visibility conditions. Multiple trains to the national capital, too, got delayed by several hours because of the fog, which came on the back of Delhi recording its second-worst air quality of this year on Thursday.
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What airport officials had to say
"The departures were happening until almost 530am and arrivals until about 6am. Post that a few arrivals have happened intermittently. However, due to less than the required minimum [visibility], the departures have been on hold," a Delhi airport official told HT.
Flights
Flight operations got disrupted from 5.30am
Flights at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), the busiest airport in country, were disrupted from around 5.30am to 7am on Friday. While departures were stopped at 5.30am, arrivals were halted at 6am. During this window, two international flights, including one from Singapore, were diverted to other airports. Departures resumed again at 7am when visibility conditions improved.
Trains
Ten Delhi-bound trains got delayed by several hours
Meanwhile, ten trains bound for Delhi got delayed by at least two to six hours on Friday morning, owing to poor visibility conditions. The Purushottam Express from Odisha's Puri got delayed by six hours, while the Mahabodhi Express headed to the capital from Bihar's Gaya was reported to be running five hours late.
AQI
Delhi's AQI was a dismal 440 on Thursday
The dense fog that engulfed Delhi on Friday morning came on the back of the capital recording a dismal air quality on Thursday. Delhi's air quality index (AQI) was 440 on Thursday, and experts attributed the poor air quality in the capital to low temperatures and slow wind speeds, explaining that these factors were detrimental to the dispersal of pollutants.