Fog disrupts flights in Delhi

A thick fog on the  first day of the new year threw travel plans of hundreds of fliers into disarray at the Delhi airport as flights could not land or take off for several hours.

The passengers had driven through fog-covered roads to the airport but the operations at the airport were severely affected for around five hours in the morning, as the runway visibility dropped below 50 metres.

All flights - both domestic and international -  were not allowed to take off between 6  am and 11 am.

Operations normalised  after 11 am.   While no departure from the airport took place during this five hour period, the arrivals also were affected due to visibility issues.

Only a few flights could land while several others were diverted to other places or delayed their departure from the take-off point.

The airport was chock-a-bloc with passengers and resembled a crowded bus station where  travellers were seen scrambling for information.

People were also seen sitting on the floor and staircases as no chairs were vacant.

As per procedure, take-offs can take place only if the runway visibility is above 125 metres. If pilots are trained in the CAT IIIB system, they are allowed to land the planes even if the runway visibility is below 50 metres.

This is the second consecutive day that the Delhi airport witnessed fog-induced delays. On Sunday, the schedule of around 350 planes flying into and out of Delhi were affected due to fog.