Fog disrupts 43 flights; 200+ delays in last week

A thick blanket of fog enveloped the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) here early Monday morning, disrupting 43 flights. Over 200 flights have either been delayed or diverted in the past week, trapping thousands of passengers in a twister of commute woes.

The departure of 41 flights to different destinations were delayed, as passengers thronged the terminal. The airport's facilities were severely stretched, and airlines had a tough time calming down passengers and reassuring them that the flights would take off soon.

The arrival of at least one flight was delayed. An incoming IndiGo flight from Delhi was diverted to Hyderabad. The Indigo flight 6E556 from Jaipur to Bengaluru was cancelled. Frustrated, a passenger, Bhavesh Kothari complained that both origin and destination had good weather. “Flights cannot be cancelled if they are not full. Causes inconvenience. Requesting DGCA for an action,” he tweeted.

The airline responded that the flight cancellation was due to low visibility condition at the Bengaluru airport, and offered a ticket refund.

As general visibility dropped below 2,500 metres, the Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) had issued a visibility standby at 4.23 am, which was withdrawn only at 9 am. The flight operations were suspended at 6.41 am and resumed at 7.23 am.