Dense fog disrupts flight operations in major cities including Delhi, Hyderabad and Bangalore

File Photo/PTI

Flight operations in major Indian cities, including New Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata, and Hyderabad, were disrupted on Monday due to dense fog affecting visibility.

Passengers complained about delays and disruptions on social media, while airlines such as IndiGo and SpiceJet informed them about the low visibility conditions.

The Delhi airport issued an advisory, urging passengers to contact their respective airlines for updated flight information, especially for non-CAT III compliant flights.

CAT III, an anti-fog landing system, was mentioned in the advisory as a critical factor during poor visibility.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported very dense fog with zero visibility at the Delhi airport from 5:30 am onwards, and visibility in parts of the national capital dropped to a mere 125 meters.

Bengaluru also experienced thick fog, leading to the diversion and return of two Hyderabad-bound Vistara flights from Bengaluru and Mumbai.

Poor weather conditions at Hyderabad airport prompted the return of UK837 from Mumbai to Hyderabad and the diversion and return of UK897 from Bangalore to Hyderabad.

In Punjab's Bathinda, dense fog caused inconvenience for commuters, with increased risks of accidents due to reduced visibility.

A roadways bus in Haryana collided with a trolley near Ashrafgarh Dauri village in the Jind district, resulting in injuries to several passengers. According to reports, the accident was attributed to the dense fog in the area.

The IMD predicted very dense fog in various parts of the country until January 2. Isolated pockets of Punjab, Haryana, and East Uttar Pradesh were expected to experience very dense fog from December 25 to 27, while Rajasthan and north Madhya Pradesh were likely to face such conditions on December 25.

Dense fog conditions were anticipated in West Uttar Pradesh from December 25 to 27, Gangetic West Bengal on December 25, Odisha on December 25 and 26, Rajasthan on December 26, and Madhya Pradesh on December 26 and 27.

Punjab and Haryana were forecasted to experience dense fog on December 28 and 29, while Delhi was expected to have dense fog from December 25 to 28 and foggy conditions on December 29 and 30.

The northeastern states, including Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura, were also predicted to have fog conditions from December 27 to 29, according to the weather agency's forecasts. (With inputs from agencies)