Winter fog hits air travel early this year

Brace up for chaos and flight disruptions, as early onset of winter fog has started upsetting flight schedules.

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: IndiGo Airlines tweeted on Sunday, "Due to expected fog conditions in Patna tomorrow, we might face delays on some flights operating from Patna, Delhi, Ranchi, Lucknow".

The fog fight of air carriers have already begun, almost a month ahead of usual. Delhi generally experiences fog towards the end of December, so does the flight disruptions and cancelations, making air and train travel nightmarish.

Delhi also witnessed a foggy Sunday morning today, with the minimum temperature recorded at 11.5 degrees Celsius, a notch below the season's average. 

According to the weather office, humidity at 8.30 am was recorded at 90 per cent, a further drop from 79 percent recorded on November 13. The met officials use the term fog when visibility is less than 1 km and the relative humidity exceeds 75 percent.

The foggy conditions  and winter is expected to rise further in the coming week. Skymet Meteorology Division in India has forecast that the mercury is expected to drop more around November 23, when it will snows in the hills of North India.

Meteorologists at the India Meteorological Department also said in October that considering the forecasting pattern, the winter in Delhi and the surrounding area is expected to be harsher than the usual winters experienced in the capital over the last few years. 

DGCA, the industry regulator has called a meeting of all stakeholders including representatives of airlines and airport operators, among others, this Tuesday to discuss measures taken by them to tackle issues flight operations during the fog.