Dense fog, coldwave to continue in Delhi, orange alert issued; trains, flights affected

New Delhi: As the dense fog engulfed the national capital on Wednesday morning, around 120 flights had been delayed, both domestic and international, at Indira Gandhi International Airport.

Meanwhile, several trains bound for Delhi have also been delayed or cancelled due to dense fog.

As per the India Meteorological Department, Delhi witnessed a minimum temperature of 4 degrees Celsius. The weather agency predicted there is no respite from these biting cold wave conditions, and dense fog will continue to prevail in the next two to three days.

On Tuesday, IMD issued an orange alert for very dense fog and coldwave conditions in Delhi for Wednesday and Thursday.

It has also issued a "red alert" in Punjab and Haryana for very dense fog and cold wave conditions on Wednesday and an orange alert in both states on Thursday.

Taking note of the fog-related disruption, Union civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Tuesday that the Delhi airport has been asked to expedite the operationalization of the CAT III-enabled 4th runway.

He also said that a standard operating procedure will be formulated by the DGCA for airlines for better communication and facilitation of passengers to minimize discomfort in view of flight cancellations and delays due to adverse weather conditions.