Fog engulfs capital, no take-offs from airport

Heavy fog blanketed many parts of the capital Thursday, throwing air traffic completely out of gear as morning flights were cancelled due to poor visibility.

As a result of the northwesterly winds blowing over northern India, the mercury dipped and fog engulfed Delhi, meteorological officials said.

“The fog started descending at the airport (Indira Gandhi International Airport) at 2.30 a.m. and the visibility dropped below 50 metres,” an official at the airport met department told IANS.

All the outbound flights were cancelled due to heavy fog.

“No flights have taken off this morning and inbound flights are also delayed. The visibility will improve by noon as the fog lifts,” the official added.

The minimum and maximum temperature also registered a decrease with a chilly morning greeting the denizens of the capital.

“The minimum temperature recorded was eight degrees Celsius and maximum 23.4 degrees Celsius. During the past few days, the minimum and maximum temperatures have been hovering above nine degrees Celsius and 25 degrees Celsius,” an official with the Indian Meteorological Department said.