Flights cancelled. IMD issues fog alert in Delhi, UP, Haryana; cold wave expected

AS many as 130 flights have been cancelled at Indira Gandhi International Airport IGI) in Delhi on Saturday, December 20. The IGI airport told ANI in a statement that 66 arrivals and 63 departures have been cancelled for the day at the airport. Meanwhile, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and several airlines warned of fog-induced flight delays.

Here are live updates related to flight delays and reschedules amid dense fog conditions:

Noon: IndiGo's advisory — "Low visibility and fog over #Ranchi, #Jammu and #Hindon (Airport) may impact flight schedules. We are closely monitoring the weather and doing our best to get you where you need to be, safely and smoothly.

We request that you stay updated on your flight status http://bit.ly/3ZWAQXd. Please be assured that our teams are here to assist you at every step and provide full support.

We look forward to clearer skies and a swift return to our regular schedule. Thank you for your patience and understanding."

11 am: The AAI warned of flight delays due to dense fog at several airports in North India. It posted on X, “Reduced visibility due to fog across parts of Northern India may impact flight operations at select airports, leading to possible delays or disruptions.”

“Passengers are encouraged to stay in regular contact with their respective airlines for real-time flight updates, rely exclusively on official communication channels for accurate information, and allow extra time for travel and airport formalities,” the AAI said.

It added, “To ensure passenger convenience, AAI has deployed dedicated passenger facilitation teams at airports to provide assistance and support. We appreciate your patience and cooperation as we work to ensure safe and efficient operations.”

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The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an orange alert for dense to very dense fog in several parts of India, including Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh on Saturday (December 20).

"Dense to very dense fog is very likely at isolated places over Bihar, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand till the morning hours of 20th December," the IMD said.

In Uttarakhand, Haryana, Chandigarh, West Uttar Pradesh, north Madhya Pradesh and Bihar, fog conditions are likely to continue till the morning of December 21.

Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, and Uttar Pradesh are likely to experience dense to very dense fog conditions on December 24 and 25.

The IMD said on Saturday that recent satellite imagery detected fog/low clouds over Jammu, Punjab, Haryana, South Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, West Meghalaya, North Chhattisgarh and East Madhya Pradesh.

Cold wave alert

Meanwhile, cold wave conditions are very likely to prevail over Telangana and South Interior Karnataka on December 20 and 21 and over West Madhya Pradesh on December 20.

"Cold wave to Severe cold wave conditions are very likely over isolated places over North Interior Karnataka on 20th & 21st December," the IMD forecast stated.

Delhi weather

The IMD predicted a partly cloudy sky over Delhi on Saturday, December 20.

"Dense fog at many places, with very dense fog at isolated places, during the morning hours. Mist/shallow fog during the night," the IMD said in its weather update for Delhi.

The weather department also stated that the maximum and minimum temperatures in Delhi are expected to be in the range of 21 to 23°C and 7 to 9 °C, respectively.

"The predominant surface wind is likely to be from the northwest direction with wind speeds up to 05 kmph during the morning hours. The wind speed will increase up to 10 kmph from the northwest direction in the afternoon. The wind speed will decrease, becoming less than 05 kmph from the southeast direction during the evening and night," the IMD said.