Smog hits operation of flights at IGI Airport

New Delhi: Flight operation at Delhi airport suffered due to dense smog on Tuesday morning that hampered visibility leading to a delay of up to two hours as only one of the three runways could be used.

Sources said that due to low visibility on the shorter runway 9/27, they could only use runway 10/28 in the morning. The third runway 11/29 is closed down from today for three days for maintenance.

The official added that the second runway was opened after visibility improved. According to officials of the India meteorological department, runway visibility between 7 am and 8 am was less than 200 metres but improved around 11 am.

“Due to air traffic congestion in Delhi, departure delays up to 90 minutes are expected at Delhi airport till 1500 hrs,” Jet Airways said in a tweet.

“Flights to and from Delhi may get delayed by up to 2 hrs due (to) runway closure for maintenance,” Vistara tweeted.

The dense layer of smog has added to the woes of people flying in and out of Delhi as the airport is operating at 70 per cent of its capacity because of maintenance work on one of its runways. As one of the runways is shut, passengers will have to brace themselves for the likelihood of higher fares, fewer flight options, and long delays.