At least 18 Delhi-bound flights were diverted, while many others were delayed on Saturday due to low visibility and bad weather at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport, said airport sources.
According to airport sources, the 18 flights were diverted to other cities, including Jaipur, Lucknow, Ahmedabad and Amritsar, between 7:00 am and 10:00 am, as the national capital witnessed its first spell of the fog of the season.
The airport initiated low visibility procedures (LVP) measures aimed at making landing for flights easier when visibility dropped below 800 metres.
The visibility in several parts of Delhi on Saturday was relatively low, as the air quality in several areas of the national capital was recorded in the ‘very poor’ category. Multiple areas of the city were also covered with a layer of smog.
However, airlines kept updating the status of flights on their social media handles and requested that passengers contact the airline for any inconvenience in the case of delays or diversions.
Vistara Airlines Flight UK954 and Flight UK928 from Mumbai to Delhi (BOM-DEL) were diverted to Jaipur, said Vistara Airlines in a series of posts on X.
However, in a recent update, Vistara Airlines, taking to X, informed that Flight UK954 and Flight UK928 departed from Japiur and are expected to arrive at Delhi airport before 11:30a.m.
Similarly, Delhi-bound Flight UK906 from Ahmedabad was diverted to Ahmedabad in view of bad weather and low visibility at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport.
“Flight UK906 from Ahmedabad to Delhi (AMD-DEL) has been diverted to Ahmedabad (AMD) due to low visibility at Delhi airport and is expected to arrive in Ahmedabad (AMD) at 1000 hours,” said Vistara Airlines in a post on X.
As per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the AQI reading at Terminal 3 of Indira Gandhi International (IGI) was 375 at 10:00 a.m.
The air quality in Anand Vihar and Ashok Vihar was recorded as ‘Very Poor’. Anand Vihar had an AQI reading of 388, while Ashok Vihar had an AQI reading of 386 at 6 a.m. on Saturday.
Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said on Wednesday that Grap-3 has been lifted in the national capital but the government is trying to ensure that Grap-1 and 2 are strictly implemented.
The air quality index from 0 to 100 is considered ‘good’, 100 to 200 ‘moderate’, 200 to 300 ‘poor’, 300 to 400 ‘very poor’ and from 400 to 500 or above ‘severe.