IndiGo, Air India issue travel advisory after IMD's orange alert for Delhi due to fog

As Delhi continues to experience dense fog for weeks, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an orange alert for Monday. Several airlines, including IndiGo, SpiceJet and Air India have issued travel advisories for several North Indian cities, warning of flight delays and cancellations due to low visibility conditions.

"Due to expected bad weather (poor visibility) in Delhi (DEL), Amritsar (ATQ), Jammu (IXJ), Ayodhya (AYJ), Gorakhpur (GOP), Varanasi (VNS), Darbhanga (DBR), Patna (PAT), Guwahati (GAU), and Bagdogra (IXB), all departures/arrivals and their consequential flights might get affected," SpiceJet said in an advisory issued for Monday.

At the same time, India' domestic carrier IndiGo warned of delays and cancellations in Dehradun and Guwahati as "weather shows no signs of improvement".


"Early-morning fog is expected to affect visibility across Delhi, Amritsar, and Chandigarh. During these hours, visibility can reduce suddenly, impacting flight operations," IndiGo said in a travel advisory.

Tata-owned Air India stated that dense fog with low visibility in parts of northern India, including Delhi, which is likely to impact flight operations. The airline has launched the ‘FogCare’ initiative that allows passengers booked on certain flights that are likely to be affected during the fog window to receive advance alerts on their registered phone numbers.

Air India also provides an option to passengers to change their flights without any extra payment or seek a full refund on their bookings without any penalty.

As dense fog across the northern belt continues to persist, causing reduced visibility and ongoing impact to flight schedules, IndiGo also warned of possible disruptions in and out of Dehradun and Guwahati. "Some flights may experience delays, and cancellations remain a possibility as the weather shows no signs of improvement," it said.

IndiGo also warned of flight disruptions in Kolkata due to low visibility and fog. The airline requested passengers to stay updated on their flight status via its website or app.

Also read: Delhi braces for dense fog, smog as orange alert issued for Monday

Delhi Airport issues passenger advisory

As fog and low visibility conditions prevailed in Delhi-NCR, the GMR-led Delhi Airport issued an advisory on Monday, asking passengers to contact the airline for updated flight information. The airport authorities have implemented low visibility procedures to assist smooth operations.

"While landings and take-offs continue at Delhi Airport, flights that are not CAT III compliant may get affected," it said in a statement issued at 01:00 IST.

IndiGo flight cancellations

IndiGo announced 22 flight cancellationson Monday due to bad weather across major Indian airports, including Delhi, Kolkata and Amritsar. Out of total flights cancelled, 19 are from or to the Delhi Airport.

India's largest airline IndiGo on Sunday cancelled 25 flights across routes, 22 of which were attributed to bad weather at various airports, while three others were attributed to 'operational reason'.

The total flights cancelled due to bad weather included five flights on the Dehradun route alone.

Delhi AQI turns 'severe'

Air quality in the national capital has deteriorated to 'severe' levels, raising serious health concerns for the city's residents.

According to data on the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) Sameer App, 19 monitoring stations in Delhi reported air quality in the "severe" category with Anand Vihar recording highest AQI of 457, while the remaining recorded "very poor" levels.

As per CPCB standards, 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 authorities have urged residents to wear masks when stepping outside, use air purifiers indoors, and follow safety guidelines to minimise the health impact. The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) and related agencies are closely monitoring the situation and may impose additional measures if conditions persist.