Delhi-bound flights, trains face disruptions due to fog chaos: Details

As fog conditions continued to prevail in DelhI-NCR, several trains and flights faced disruption to services on Wednesday.

Bhopal Express, Shram Shakti Express, Jammu Rajdhani, Varanasi Vande Bharat, Kashi Express, and Purva Express, among other Delhi-bound passenger trains, were running off-schedule, according to the information available at 6 am.

One of the passengers at the New Delhi Railway Station described the inconvenience caused due to the extreme delays. “Our train is very late. I had booked the Bhopal Express for 8.30 pm. It was then rescheduled for 3 am. When we reached the station at 3 am, we came to know that the train was not running today. We are continuously waiting…,” the passenger, identified as Narendra, said.

Flight services delayed at Delhi airport

According to the New Delhi Airport’s official website, as many as 22 domestic and international flights were rescheduled on January 24. Some of these, lined up in the morning hours, had already departed for their subsequent destinations following the delay. The website displayed that some of the other delayed flights had ‘check-in’ open and the status for others only showed ‘delayed’. However, the website did not clarify the exact reason for the delays.

Moderate fog persists in Delhi

Delhi’s Palam weather station, close to the airport, recorded visibility around 700 metres at 10 am, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. The weather office has also predicted moderate fog conditions to prevail in the region over the next few days.

While most of these flights were scheduled to depart around 3:30 pm, one Dubai-bound flight, initially scheduled for 4:35 pm, stands to depart at 5:40 pm as of now, the website showed.

Flyers can also avail real-time information for flights within 48 hours of scheduled departure time on the government’s digital-facility’ Air Sewa’ portal.

Notably, in the wake of persistent fog chaos at the Delhi airport amid a chilling winter season, the civil aviation ministry, on January 15, had issued Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) stating that airlines may cancel flights that are expected to be delayed beyond 3 hours. 

(With ANI inputs)

First Published: Jan 24 2024 | 1:24 PM IST