At least 150 flights were delayed on Saturday with zero visibility on the third runway of New Delhi IGI Airport at about 6.30 am, making New Year’s Eve a nightmare for many passengers.
According to statistics, till 11 am on Saturday over 130 flights had already been delayed. Visibility fell below 50 metres in the early hours of Saturday, at about 1.30 am, and continued till 6.40 am. Several flights could not take off as visibility fell below the take-off minima for aircraft operation. Citing the weather forecast, airport sources said visibility was likely to fall well below 200 metres in the late hours of Saturday evening as well.
Nearly 70 trains were also affected on Saturday. As many as 30 trains coming from Odisha, Bihar, West Bengal, Assam and other parts of India are running several hours late. Indian Railways has fully cancelled 24 trains and partially cancelled 12 trains due to the fog, said a Northern Railway spokesperson. The spokesperson said the dense fog has reduced visibility, making it difficult for loco pilots to run trains at normal speed. He stressed that passenger safety was the railways’ main concern.