A thick blanket of winter fog engulfed Delhi and vast stretches of north India in the early hours of Monday, December 30, 2025, causing major disruptions to both air and rail travel and inconveniencing thousands of passengers. The severe weather conditions led to a sharp drop in visibility across the National Capital Region (NCR), significantly hampering operations.
Red Alert and Widespread Travel Disruption
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) sounded a red alert for Delhi on December 30, warning of dense to very dense fog in several parts of north India. The foggy conditions, which are predicted to linger through the New Year period, began severely impacting travel from the early morning. Flight operations at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport were thrown into disarray, while numerous trains on the Northern Railway network faced considerable delays.
Visibility saw only a marginal improvement after 9 am, allowing operations to slowly stabilize. However, the early morning chaos had a cascading effect, disrupting flight schedules for the entire day and affecting passengers traveling to and from the national capital.
Official Advisories and Passenger Facilitation
Authorities swiftly responded with advisories and measures to assist stranded travelers. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) posted on social media platform X, stating that reduced visibility at select airports in Northern India was impacting flights, potentially causing delays. They urged passengers to contact their airlines directly for real-time updates, plan for extra time for airport procedures, and confirmed that assistance teams had been deployed at affected airports.
Echoing this, the Ministry of Civil Aviation advised travelers to proactively check their flight status, stay in touch with airlines, and allocate additional time for their journey. The Ministry emphasized that airlines have been directed to strictly adhere to passenger facilitation norms. These include providing timely information, meals for delayed passengers, offering rebooking or refunds for cancellations, ensuring no denial of boarding after timely check-in, and facilitating baggage and grievance redressal.
Extended Forecast and Commuter Caution
The IMD's forecast spells continued trouble for the region. Dense to very dense fog is likely to persist over Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, and west Uttar Pradesh for the next few days. The weather office has indicated that these conditions may last until at least January 1, 2026, with a possibility of further extension based on local weather patterns.
IMD experts attribute the intense fog formation to the presence of western disturbances over the region, creating favourable conditions across the Indo-Gangetic plains. Early morning and late-night hours are expected to be the worst affected. Commuters and travelers are strongly advised to exercise extreme caution, stay updated through official channels, and verify their travel schedules before heading out.
Key airline helpline numbers for passengers:
- IndiGo: 0124 497 3838
- Air India: 011 6932 9333
- SpiceJet: +91 (0)124 498 3410 / +91 (0)124 710 1600
- Air India Express: +91 124 443 5600 / +91 124 693 5600
- Akasa Air: 9606112131
