The Hindu : Front Page : Flights, trains caught in fog

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Monday, Dec 22, 2008
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Flights, trains caught in fog

Staff Reporter

Photo: V.V. Krishnan

The scene at IGI airport in Delhi on Sunday when flight schedules were disrupted in a big way due to fog.

NEW DELHI: Heavy fog played havoc with flight and train schedules during the past 24 hours in Delhi. More than 50 flights operating out of the Indira Gandhi International Airport were delayed and over 25 trains got late by periods of up to 11 hours. The flights were delayed by 40 minutes to over two hours. Some flights were cancelled owing to bad weather conditions.

Dense fog enveloped the airport at around 10 p.m. on Saturday night. The low visibility procedures (LVP) were initiated at around 9-45 p.m. on Saturday and were in operation till 10-30 a.m. on Sunday.

This was the first time during this winter season that the LVP remained in force for over 12 hours.

The Runway Visual Range started dropping after 4-30 a.m. on Sunday and it came down to about 150-200 metres between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m.

"By 8-30 a.m., the visibility had improved and the fog was clear by 10-30 a.m. During the LVP, the main as well as the third runway were being used and around 175 flights were operated at both the domestic and international sector, including arrivals and departures," said an airport official.

Angela Minocha, who was coming from Mumbai, said her flight was late by over 40 minutes owing to bad weather in Delhi.

Coming from Chennai, Divya Sethuraman’s flight was to land at the IGI Airport at about 8-40 a.m., but it was not until 11 a.m. that the aircraft actually touched down in Delhi.

"Thankfully, we were informed about the bad weather by the airline. We were also sent a SMS saying that since the flight was running behind the schedule, we could check in at the Chennai airport for our scheduled departure half an hour earlier instead of coming 90 minutes before the scheduled departure," she said.

Avik Bose, who was coming from Kolkata, said his Indian Airlines flight was delayed by over two hours.

It was not just the Delhi airport, but the flight schedule at Varanasi, Patna and Lucknow airports was also impacted by bad weather. At the railway stations in Delhi, the impact of fog was clearly felt in abundant measure as the arrival and departure of several trains were delayed. A Northern Railway spokesperson said the trains were running late due to heavy fog and efforts were being made to reschedule minimum number of trains.

However, despite trains running late by up to 11 hours, the official said, none would be cancelled.

The trains delayed included Jhelum Express, Andhra Pradesh Express, Yasvanthpur Sampark Kranti Express, Ranchi Rajdhani Express, Patna Raj Express, Bilaspur Rajdhani Express, Mewar Express, GT Express, Bihar Amritsar Express and Lichchavi Express.

One of the worst affected was the New Delhi-bound Lichchavi Express that was nearly 11 hours behind schedule.

Apart from these trains, Indore Nizamuddin Intercity, Farakka Express, Mahabhodhi Express, Gorakh Dham Vaishali Express, Purva Express, Shivganga Express, Magadh Express, Vikramashila Express, Sampurna Kranti, Janshadhran Express and Muzaffarpur Sampark Kranti Express were also delayed by over two hours.

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