150 flights impacted due to Delhi smog

NEW DELHI: About 150 flights from Delhi airport were impacted, as heavy smog at Delhi airport closure led to about 40 flights diversions, hundreds delayed and about 15 flights cancelled.
Flights to Delhi were diverted to Jaipur, Lucknow and Amritsar between 9Am and 1 PM due to low visibility at Delhi airport. The visibility at Delhi airport fell to below the minimum visibility required due to smog, primarily created by crop burning in Punjab and Haryana, and has engulfed the city for the past one week.

Sources said that the visibility dropped below the permissible level between 9 AM and 1 PM leading to diversions.

“Due to low visibility at Delhi Airport 37 flights have been diverted between 9 am and 1 pm to places including Jaipur, Amritsar and Lucknow among others,” said a spokesperson for Delhi airport.

The visibility, however, improved post 1 PMleading to normal movements at the airport. “However, there were delays in departure due to delay in arrival of the aircraft that were diverted,” said an airport source, who did not want to be identified.

An Air India spokesperson, in a statement, said that flights have been diverted to Jaipur, Lucknow and Amritsar.

“Due to bad weather (smog) flight operation affected since morning 9am in T3 airport (Delhi). 12 flights are diverted to Jaipur, Amritsar and Lucknow. About 14 flights were rescheduled and 4 were cancelled today,” the spokesperson said.