Hundreds of air passengers were stranded for hours at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) on Saturday morning after 35 flight departures were delayed due to dense fog. Passengers heading to various destinations for Christmas holidays were badly hit due to the disruption in flight services.
A spokesperson of Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) said that visibility standby was declared at 5.30 a.m. Standby was withdrawn after more than three hours at 8.38 a.m.
In addition to departures, 13 arrivals from various destinations were delayed due to poor visibility. Two Blue Dart flights from Mumbai and one Indigo flight were diverted to Chennai.
An official of the Meteorological Department (aviation services) at the airport said that dense fog enveloped the area between 6 a.m. and 7.30 a.m., and the lowest visibility recorded was 100 metres.