Christmas morning fog disrupts Delhi airport, 8 flights diverted

On the morning of December 25, bad weather conditions led to the diversion of eight flights from Delhi's airport, according to an official statement. The diversions occurred between 6 am and 9 am, with seven flights redirected to Jaipur, Rajasthan, and one to Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported that dense fog with zero visibility enveloped Delhi's airport area from 5:30 am onwards. The runway visibility across all runways ranged between 125 to 175 metres. Operations at the airport are functioning under CAT III B conditions, a navigation system allowing landings when visibility drops to as low as 50 metres.

Despite these challenges, the Delhi airport issued a statement reassuring passengers that scheduled landings and take-offs are proceeding as planned. However, flights not equipped to operate under CAT III conditions could face disruptions.

By 8:30 am, visibility reached zero metres in various locations including Palam in Delhi, Amritsar in Punjab, Agra and Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh, Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh, and Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, as recorded by the IMD. In contrast, visibility was 200 metres at Safdarjung in Delhi and 300 metres at Bharapani/Shillong.

The IMD further elaborated that the fog's spread is not uniformly dense across states, citing satellite imagery. This uneven distribution has resulted in patchy fog covering parts of northwest India, including Delhi. The department anticipates the fog to dissipate in certain areas within the next two hours, although visibility might fluctuate between zero and 500 metres within individual states.