Air India issued another passenger advisory on Saturday as weather forecasts continued to indicate dense fog in Delhi, other parts of India as winter sets in. The Tata Group airline said flight schedules across its network are likely to be affected by the current weather forecast.
“The weather forecast continues to indicate dense fog with reduced visibility in Delhi and parts of North and East India tomorrow morning. This will affect flight schedules across the network. We have taken proactive steps to minimize disruption,” Air India said in a post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
Full refund, rescheduling with no fees
“Passengers booked on selected flights during the fog window will continue to receive pre-notifications under our FogCare initiative with the option to change flights without additional payment or request a full refund without penalty,” Air India further said in its post.
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On Saturday, the Delhi airport issued a similar advisory that low-visibility procedures were underway at the air hub. He advised fliers to contact their respective airlines and monitor flight status.
More than 120 flights were canceled at the Delhi airport
At least 129 flights were canceled at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) on Saturday, December 20 due to heavy fog.
In the afternoon, IGI Airport told news agency ANI in a statement that 66 arrivals and 63 departures were canceled at the airport for the day. Meanwhile, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and several airlines have warned of flight delays due to the fog.
Cold wave grips Delhi, mercury drops in northern states
The national capital experienced the first cold wave of the season and recorded the coldest December day this year on Saturday, December 20, according to a report by news channel PTI.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) declares cold wave conditions when the maximum temperature drops by 4.5 to 6.4 degrees Celsius below normal. On Saturday, the minimum temperature was recorded at 6.1 degrees Celsius, about two degrees below normal, the meteorological office said.
While Safdarjung station recorded a maximum temperature of 16.9 degrees Celsius, 5.3 degrees below the season’s normal, Palam, another key monitoring station, recorded a maximum temperature of 16.3 degrees Celsius, 5.6 degrees below normal.
In other northern states, the mercury hovered around its winter lows and normal life was affected by fog and a red alert was issued in Uttar Pradesh. The sun was largely obscured by clouds and pollutants lingering in the atmosphere, resulting in reduced visibility.
