Air travel across northern India remained under pressure on December 24, as dense fog blanketed large parts of the region, triggering widespread flight delays and cancellations. Several airports reported near-zero visibility, significantly impacting airline operations during the peak winter travel period.
According to data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), airports in Delhi, Amritsar, Agra, Jaisalmer, Gwalior, Kanpur, Hindon, and Bareilly experienced severely reduced visibility in the early hours, forcing airlines to reschedule or cancel services.
The IMD said dense to very dense fog is very likely at isolated places over Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh. Similar conditions are also expected at isolated locations across Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu-Kashmir-Ladakh-Gilgit-Baltistan-Muzaffarabad, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura, Odisha, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, and Uttarakhand.
Delhi airport issues advisory
Amid the fog alert, Delhi airport issued a passenger advisory on X, stating that flight operations are currently running smoothly, with low-visibility procedures in place. Travellers were advised to check their flight status before heading to the airport.
Despite the advisory, disruptions continued through the morning. At least 18 IndiGo flights were cancelled nationwide, while several others faced delays due to aircraft rotation issues and operational constraints caused by poor visibility.
IndiGo cancellations impact key routes
IndiGo confirmed multiple domestic cancellations affecting major routes connecting Delhi, Pune, Chennai, Kolkata, Jaipur, Indore, Vijayawada, and other cities. The airline has faced repeated fog-related disruptions over the past few days, particularly impacting early-morning departures and arrivals.
Passengers travelling with IndiGo on December 24 have been advised to monitor flight updates closely as weather conditions continue to affect schedules across northern, eastern, and central India.
List of IndiGo flights cancelled on December 24
| Flight Number | Route |
| 6E 7324 | DEL - PGH |
| 6E 7157 | PGH - DEL |
| 6E 841 | BLR - DEL |
| 6E 507 | VNS - CCU |
| 6E 822 | CCU - VNS |
| 6E 203 | RDP - BOM |
| 6E 202 | BOM - RDP |
| 6E 6550 | PAT - DEL |
| 6E 6549 | DEL - PAT |
| 6E 401 | MAA - VNS |
| 6E 6044 | VNS - MAA |
| 6E 7419 | IXA - CCU |
| 6E 7418 | CCU - IXA |
| 6E 7561 | BOM - DEL |
| 6E 7562 | IDR - PNQ |
| 6E 721 | PNQ - LKO |
| 6E 6287 | PNQ - BLR |
| 6E 576 | BOM - VGA |
Cold wave conditions and dense fog continued to grip large parts of northern India, disrupting daily life as visibility dropped sharply across several states. Parts of the national capital also witnessed brief periods of extremely low visibility during early morning hours.
The IMD has forecast dense to very dense fog across northern states till December 27, with foggy conditions also expected over Rajasthan and parts of the western Himalayan region in the coming days.
Health advisory for travellers
The IMD cautioned that prolonged exposure to dense fog may worsen respiratory conditions, cause eye irritation, and aggravate asthma. Cold weather also increases the risk of seasonal flu, hypothermia, and frostbite, especially among the elderly and those with pre-existing health conditions.
Passengers planning to fly over the next few days are advised to allow buffer time, track airline advisories, and check real-time flight status to avoid last-minute inconvenience as winter weather continues to disrupt air travel.
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