- Dense fog blanketed Delhi on Monday, causing visibility to drop sharply in several areas
- A red alert has been issued for dense fog on Tuesday morning
- At least 128 flights were cancelled at Delhi airport, and several trains were also running behind schedule
Dense fog blanketed Delhi on Monday, causing visibility to drop sharply in several areas, disrupting operations at the airport and pushing the air quality back into the "severe" category.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a 'red' alert for dense fog on Tuesday morning.
The visibility at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport and Safdarjung was 50 metres at 8 am. It improved to 100 metres around 9 am, the weather office said.
At least 128 flights were cancelled, eight diverted and nearly 200 delayed at the airport due to the low visibility conditions, according to an official and information on the flight tracking website Flightradar24.com.
The airport is operating under Category-III conditions, which allow flights to land in low visibility.
Meanwhile, the aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has declared the period from December 10 to February 10, 2026, as the official fog season window, during which fog-related disruptions are expected to remain frequent.
Railway services were also impacted due to foggy conditions, with several trains running behind schedule.
Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 8.3 degrees Celsius, 1.5 degrees above normal, and a maximum of 22.5 degrees Celsius, 2.1 degrees above normal, the IMD said.
The national capital recorded a 24-hour Air Quality Index (AQI) of 401, in the 'severe' category, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed.
On Monday, the AQI stood at 390, in the 'very poor' category.
An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered "good", 51 to 100 "satisfactory", 101 to 200 "moderate", 201 to 300 "poor", 301 to 400 "very poor", and 401 to 500 "severe", according to CPCB standards.
The air quality at 24 monitoring stations in the city was 'severe' while it was 'very poor' at 13 stations, data from the CPCB's SAMEER app showed.
An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered 'good', 51 to 100 'satisfactory', 101 to 200 'moderate', 201 to 300 'poor', 301 to 400 'very poor', and 401 to 500 'severe'.
The city's air quality is likely to be in the 'very poor' category on Tuesday and Wednesday, before returning to the 'severe' category on New Year's Day, the Air Quality Early Warning System said.
(With inputs from PTI)
