Fog disruptions: 29 flights delayed, 13 diverted to Hyderabad airport in 48 hours

Hyderabad: In the last two days, as many as 29 flights were delayed and 13 flights were diverted to Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) in Shamshabad due to a thick layer of fog cloaking the other airport surroundings.

The GMR Hyderabad International Airport authorities said that as many as 14 flights were delayed from Hyderabad due to bad weather and six flights were diverted to Hyderabad airport due to bad weather on January 14. Similarly, as many as 15 flights got delayed due to bad weather and seven flights were diverted to Hyderabad airport due to bad weather on January 15.

On Monday, the diversions included four flights from Kolkata’s Netaji Subhas Chandra International Airport, two from Chennai International Airport, and one from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport. With this, the RGIA had emerged as a diversion hub for several airlines.

Passenger assaults IndiGo flight captain

On January 14, a passenger named Sahil Kataria assaulted an Indigo flight captain Anup Kumar while the latter was announcing a delay in flight 6E 2175, a Goa-bound flight.

A video of the incident went viral on social media platforms where Sahil in a yellow jacket could be seen lunging at the pilot inside the plane. In a statement issued on Monday, the IndiGo officials said that as per protocol the passenger was declared unruly and was handed over to the local law enforcement agencies.

Advisory to passengers

Taking on X, Delhi Airport officials said, “While landings and takeoffs continue at Delhi Airport, flights that are not CAT III compliant may get affected. Passengers are requested to contact the airline concerned for updated flight information. Any inconvenience caused is deeply regretted.”

IMD predicts dense to very dense fog for next 4-5 days

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted that dense to very dense fog conditions are likely to continue in north India over the next 4-5 days.