Delhi cancels 100 flights alone over busy holiday season, know why

As many as 100 flights have been cancelled in Delhi alone as the city continues to struggle with the extreme cold, with another thick fog layer covering the area on Wednesday.

While efforts were being made to relieve airport congestion in New Delhi over the busy holiday season, a severe fog that blanketed most of north India added to the difficulties faced by air travellers.

"Due to bad weather (fog) for three days, over 100 flights are reported delayed from and to Delhi airport, some have also been diverted to the nearest airport," a Delhi airport official told ANI.

Dense fog in North India causes massive flight disruptions

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"Early morning fog at Delhi has caused massive delays across the network. We're trying our best to minimize the inconvenience caused..," IndiGo said on Tuesday.

(Also Read: IMD weather update: Cold wave continues to grip Delhi; dense fog in Haryana, UP, Rajasthan till New Year’s Eve)

On Wednesday, aeroplane mobility was again hampered by the recent poor visibility that has affected the northern regions of the nation.

One airline's failure to deploy CAT-III compliant pilots as of yet, according to a Delhi airport official, is another factor contributing to flight delays.

As flight operations at Delhi airport were exclusively for CAT-III compliant ones, Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) urged travellers to check their flight status with the airline in question on Tuesday.

"While landing and take-offs are continuing at Delhi airport, flights that are not CAT-III compliant may get affected. Passengers are requested to contact the airline concerned for the updated flight information," DIAL said.

What is CAT-III Instrument Landing System?
Flights are able to land safely in bad visibility thanks to the CAT-III Instrument Landing System (ILS). With a decision height of 15 metres and a runway visual range (RVR) of up to 50 metres, CAT III-B ILS enables aeroplanes to land.

Over 18 aircraft, the majority of which were headed to towns in northern India from Delhi, were delayed till noon, according to the Flight Information Display System (FIDS) at the airport in Delhi. Arrivals, however, were on time.

Tuesday's severe fog caused the Bagdogra airport in West Bengal to suspend flight operations for about six hours. Numerous people were inconvenienced by the delay.

Vistara, SpiceJet, and IndiGo all apologised for the delays and detours on Tuesday.