NEW DELHI: The Capital was enveloped in thick fog on Monday morning, the first day of the new year, and hundreds of passengers were stranded at the airport for several hours as flight operations were suspended after visibility on the runways dropped below 50 metres.
Train services too have been severely hit in Delhi and several other parts of north India.
Over 300 flights were delayed and eight cancelled as dense fog severely hampered visibility at the Indira Gandhi International airport here on Monday morning.
Nearly all flights arriving into and departing from Delhi were affected. About 265 domestic flights and 67 international flights were delayed.
There have been eight cancellations so far, all of which were domestic flights.
No take-offs could take place between 7:30 am to 9:30 am, according to an airport official. This was because runway visual range (RVR) was between 100-125 metres, while aircraft require more than 125 metres RVR for taking off.
While planes could land in Delhi, they were delayed because of the unavailability of parking bays, which were occupied by aircraft waiting for take-off, the official said.
There were no diversions to nearby airports due to fog, according to the official.
Vistara's Chief Strategy and Commercial Officer, Sanjiv Kapoor, took to Twitter to describe the mess at Delhi airport on Monday morning.
"All departures were held up due to fog, arrivals not getting gates as all occupied by aircraft waiting to depart.
Departures are finally starting to happen now. Consequential delays expected through the day across the network," Kapoor tweeted.
At the airport's Terminal 1 or T1, the waiting hall and the area near the boarding gates were packed with people sitting on the floor and staircases waiting for information on their delayed flights.
Agitated passengers were seen confronting airlines staff at counters about the lack of clarity on information and announcements.
Fifty-six Delhi-bound trains are running late, and 20 have been rescheduled. 15 have been cancelled, the Northern Railways said.
Disturbingly, pollution levels in Delhi have shot up in Delhi since Sunday night.
The levels of Particulate Matter are in the "Very Poor" category, according to SAFAR (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research).
It was nightmarish for commuters in the Capital on Monday.
The red arteries on the Google map near and around India Gate C- hexagon showed the state of traffic in the Capital where more than one lakh people gathered to celebrate New Year.
The Delhi Police had to temporarily close and divert some roads to India Gate in a precautionary measure to avoid more
congestion.
There was also bumper-to-bumper traffic on Barapulla
flyover, Ashram Chowk, Sarai Kale Khan and ITO.
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