Dense fog engulfs Delhi-NCR; IGI Airport issues travel advisory, 150 flights delayed

Delhi-NCR woke up to dense fog on Monday, leading to poor visibility across many areas of the national capital and NCR. Early morning commuters faced difficulties on roads as visibility dropped sharply. In view of the weather conditions, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a yellow alert for fog in Delhi and advised people to remain cautious.

According to IMD data, the minimum temperature in the capital fell to 8.2°C on Monday night. At the same time, Delhi’s air quality worsened significantly, entering the ‘Severe Plus’ category. The Air Quality Index (AQI) crossed 450, with Ashok Vihar recording a maximum AQI of 500 in the early hours of Monday.

Airlines issue advisory

Passengers travelling from Delhi Airport have been warned about possible delays due to dense fog. In an advisory posted on X, Delhi Airport said flight operations may be affected and urged passengers to check flight updates with their airlines.

Update issued at 06:12 hours. Kind attention to all flyers!#Fog#FogAlert#DelhiAirportpic.twitter.com/qjVGEBhPxu

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— Delhi Airport (@DelhiAirport) December 15, 2025

"Due to dense fog, flight operations may experience disruptions. We are working closely with all stakeholders to minimize inconvenience to passengers. For the latest flight updates, passengers are advised to contact their respective airlines. We sincerely regret any inconvenience caused,” the post said.

Major airlines IndiGo and SpiceJet also issued advisories. "Delhi is seeing its first hint of winter fog this morning, and visibility around the airport is currently reduced. As operations adjust to the changing weather, some flights may take a little longer to depart," said IndiGo in a statement on X.

SpiceJet warned that poor visibility could impact arrivals, departures and connecting flights, and asked passengers to regularly check their flight status. "Passengers are requested to keep a check on their flight status via spicejet.com," said SpiceJet.

Schools shift to hybrid and online classes

Due to worsening air quality and the implementation of Stage-IV restrictions under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), schools in Delhi will conduct classes in a hybrid mode for students up to Class IX and Class XI from Monday, as per the Directorate of Education.

In Noida and Ghaziabad, schools have made online classes mandatory for students from pre-nursery to Class V, while students from Class VI to IX and XI will attend classes in a hybrid format. The decision was announced on Sunday as air pollution levels continued to remain severe across the Delhi-NCR region.

Over 150 flights, 50 trains delayed

At Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, low-visibility procedures were put in place from around 2.30 am. As a result, more than 150 flights were delayed. This included 43 incoming flights and 139 outgoing flights, according to flight tracking website Flightradar24.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation issued a heavy fog alert for northern India, saying Delhi (DEL) and other airports in the region were experiencing dense fog that has severely affected visibility.

Airport authorities warned that delays were likely to increase as the day progressed, due to the knock-on effect of early disruptions.

In a post on social media platform X at 6.12 am, Delhi Airport said dense fog could disrupt flight operations. Another update at 8.22 am said the airport was still operating under CAT-3 conditions, which are used during very low visibility, and delays were continuing.

Rail services were also badly affected. Northern Railways CPRO Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay said around 50 trains were delayed in the Delhi division alone because of the dense fog, causing inconvenience to thousands of passengers, Hindustan Times reported.