Fog at Capital

Fog hits flights, rail traffic in Delhi

NEW DELHI, Jan 14, 2013, DHNS:

After a brief spell of sunshine, a thick blanket of fog enveloped the national  capital on Monday morning affecting flight and train operations even as temperature continued to rise slightly much to the delight of Delhiites.

According to Met officials, the minimum temperature in the city was three degree above normal at 10.6 degree Celsius, while the maximum was recorded at 21 degree Celsius.

Some 150 flights were affected at the Indira Gandhi International Airport. Operations at IGI airport went haywire after dense fog engulfed the runways. Visibility was less than 50 metres, which is the minimum required for a flight to land using the most advanced category-3B (CAT 3B) instrument landing system.

At least 40 flights were operated when CAT-3 was in place, airport officials said. Some 130 domestic and international flights were delayed on Monday, while 20 domestic and international flights arriving were diverted to other cities, airport officials said.

“Eleven flights were cancelled on Monday. Around 100 flights were delayed, out of which 59 were delayed at Delhi airport due to bad weather,” the official said.

The Northern Railway cancelled at least 11 trains on Monday, apart from rescheduling nine trains running late. The major long-distance trains cancelled on Monday includes Toofan Abha Express, Lichhvi Express and Howrah Express.