New Delhi:
The dense fog that had shrouded the capital since Friday night lifted towards the noon and the flight schedules were slowly returning to normal.
But there's a backlog of 28 domestic and 19 international flights, which could not take off in the morning because of the fog. Ten departing domestic flights were cancelled. A total of 57 flights were hit. (Read & Watch: 12-hour flight ordeal for 200 passengers)
What added to the delays caused by fog was the closure of the airspace above Delhi Airport due to the Republic Day rehearsals. The airspace was closed over a radius of 50 nautical miles for an hour from 11:15 am to 12:15 pm.
Though CAT IIB, which allows landing possible in visibility less than 50 metres, is in place, few airlines do not have pilots trained to do so. That resulted in flight delays and cancellations.
Dense fog also hit train schedules in the capital. While at least52 trains were running late by several hours, five trains were cancelledand 12 trains were rescheduled. As a result, a large number ofpassengers were stranded at the railway stations.
The last few days have been a nightmare for drivers on the roads ofDelhi as well, as visibility is usually near zero in the morning.
IT318 Mumbai SG117 Ahmedabad 9W2251 Chennai 9W2631 Amritsar Pune
International arrival delayed
W55071 Tehran IC896 Dubai QR232 Doha International EK512 Dubai 9W553 Doha International TK1070 Istanbul 9W17 Singapore Changi Airport IC886 Muscat Oman RJ192 Queen Alia International 9W581 Abu Dhabi
International departure delayed
AI314 Osaka EY211 Abu Dhabi QR233 Doha International W55072 Tehran TK1071 Istanbul 9W264 Kathmandu