New Delhi: With dense fog engulfing Delhi and Bengaluru, several major airlines including SpiceJet, Vistara and IndiGo have issued travel advisories to passengers asking them to check their flight status before heading for the airport.
Due to the impact of bad weather in Delhi, all departures, arrivals and their consequential flights might be affected, SpiceJet said. The budget carrier also issued a similar warning for Bengaluru airport and asked passengers to keep a check on their flight status through its website.
Vistara said due to expected dense fog in Delhi and Bengaluru, flight delays were expected for both arrivals and departures with likely consequential impact on flights across the network. IndiGo, too, expects that arrivals and departures may be affected at Delhi airport.
“Drive with care, check your flight status before you leave for the airport and keep enough travel time in hand,” IndiGo said in its advisory.
Yesterday, all departures from the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGAI) were put on hold for two hours from 7.30 am to 9.30 am due to low visibility as a result of fog. The Palam observatory in Delhi had recorded visibility of 50 metres at 8.30 am, while at the Safdarjung observatory, it was recorded at 350 metres. Take-offs from IGIA require a minimum visibility range of 125 metres.
The Met office has forecast partly cloudy skies for today. “There will be moderate to dense fog in the morning. Sky will be partly cloudy and there will be haze and smoke thereafter. The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to hover at around 21 and 7 degrees, respectively,” the weatherman said.
Last-minute air fares from Delhi airport to key domestic destinations, on an average, have surged 28% amid flight operations being affected by dense fog and poor visibility, according to a report by travel firm Ixigo.
The spike in spot fares from Delhi to cities such as Chennai, Pune, Mumbai, Kolkata and Hyderabad were primarily due to delays and cancellations caused by fog and low visibility, the report said. According to Ixigo, the hike in last-minute fares was highest on the Delhi-Kolkata route, where ticket prices jumped 47%, while the Delhi-Pune route had the lowest increase at 11%.
(Agency inputs)