Air travel in North India faced significant disruption on Monday as thick fog blanketed the region, severely impacting operations at the Chandigarh International Airport. The adverse weather conditions led to the cancellation of a total of ten flights, causing inconvenience to numerous passengers.
Multiple Airlines Affected by Poor Visibility
The flight cancellations were not limited to a single carrier but affected several major airlines operating from the airport. According to official information, the impacted flights included services by IndiGo, Air India, and SpiceJet. The cancellations spanned both domestic arrivals and departures, throwing travel plans into disarray for the day.
The specific cancelled flights were identified as:
- IndiGo flights 6E-2192 and 6E-2193 on the Chandigarh-Delhi-Chandigarh route.
- IndiGo flight 6E-7293 from Chandigarh to Mumbai.
- Air India flight AI-824 connecting Chandigarh to Delhi.
- SpiceJet flight SG-8933 from Chandigarh to Delhi.
In addition to these, several other flights, including an Air India service to Srinagar and other IndiGo routes, were also called off due to the persistently low visibility that made landing and take-off unsafe.
Widespread Fog Disruption Across North India
The flight cancellations at Chandigarh were part of a larger weather-related crisis affecting the entire northern part of the country. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had issued dense fog alerts for Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh. The fog significantly reduced visibility to below 50 meters in many areas during the early morning hours, a critical time for airport operations.
This weather phenomenon had a cascading effect, with the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, a major hub, also reporting massive delays and cancellations. The disruptions at Delhi inevitably impacted connecting flights and schedules at other airports like Chandigarh, creating a domino effect of travel chaos. Passengers were advised to contact their respective airlines for the latest updates on flight rescheduling and refund policies before heading to the airport.
Passenger Advisory and Operational Challenges
Airport authorities and airlines worked to manage the situation, prioritizing passenger safety above all. The primary challenge was the inability of aircraft to land or take off in near-zero visibility conditions, despite some being equipped with Category-III Instrument Landing Systems (ILS) for low-visibility operations. The intensity of the fog exceeded operational minima for many flights.
Passengers stranded at the Chandigarh airport reported frustration and uncertainty, with long queues forming at airline help desks. Airlines are mandated to provide alternative arrangements or refunds as per Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) regulations in cases of cancellations due to weather. The incident highlights the vulnerability of air travel to severe winter fog in the plains of North India, an annual occurrence that tests the preparedness of airlines and airports alike.
Travelers are consistently urged to check their flight status via airline websites or apps before departing for the airport during the winter season, especially for early morning flights which are most susceptible to fog-related delays and cancellations.
