Fog paralyses airlines, rail services in North India

Flight and rail services across large parts of North India were disrupted on Sunday morning as dense fog engulfed several states, sharply reducing visibility and affecting normal movement.
With Delhi witnessing persistent fog for weeks, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an orange alert for Monday. Maximum and minimum temperatures in the national capital are expected to hover around 22 degrees Celsius and 7 degrees Celsius, respectively. Air quality in Delhi deteriorated to the ‘severe’ category, triggering serious health concerns.
Airlines IndiGo and SpiceJet issued travel advisories for several North Indian cities, cautioning passengers about delays and possible cancellations due to low visibility. IndiGo also warned of disruptions in Dehradun and Guwahati, stating that weather conditions showed no signs of improvement. On Sunday, IndiGo cancelled 25 flights, of which 22 were due to adverse weather conditions and three owing to operational reasons.
Data from the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) Sameer App showed that 19 air quality monitoring stations in Delhi recorded ‘severe’ air quality levels, with Anand Vihar reporting the highest AQI of 457. The remaining stations recorded ‘very poor’ air quality. Rail services were also severely affected, with train operations slowed as a safety precaution. Railway officials said over four dozen trains were running behind schedule due to dense fog across northern India, causing inconvenience to passengers.
Among the worst-hit trains, the Prayagraj Express was delayed by around five hours, the Rewa–Anand Vihar Express by nearly nine hours, and the New Delhi Tejas Rajdhani Express by about four hours. The Brahmaputra Mail was delayed by approximately 45 minutes, while the Mahabodhi Express and Sampurna Kranti Express were running four to five hours late.
Several other mail and express trains were also reported to be reaching their destinations hours behind schedule, with delays expected to continue if foggy conditions persist.