Sunday, January 5, 2025 On Saturday, Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport faced significant operational disruptions, including 19 flight diversions, multiple cancellations, and delays affecting over 400 flights. The dense fog caused low visibility conditions for the second consecutive day, leading to severe flight delays and diversions. From 12:15 am to 1:30 am, 19 flights were diverted, including 13 domestic, four international, and two non-scheduled flights.
Additionally, more than 45 flights were cancelled due to adverse weather conditions at the airport and destination locations. Flight tracking data from Flightradar24.com revealed that over 400 flights were delayed at the airport throughout the morning.
In response to the poor visibility, temporary holds were placed on arrivals and departures early in the morning, with flights not compliant with Category III (CAT III) landing systems being most affected. CAT III-equipped aircraft can operate safely in low-visibility conditions, but others were grounded until conditions improved. Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), which operates IGIA, issued an advisory urging passengers to contact airlines for updated flight information and apologized for the inconvenience.
The dense fog also disrupted air traffic at several other northern Indian airports, including Chandigarh, Amritsar, Srinagar, Guwahati, and Patna, extending the delays across the region even into the afternoon. Delhi Airport, which handles around 1,300 f.
