Flights, Trains Suspended As Fog And Pollution Cover Delhi  

An NDTV video grab of the fog-covered Delhi airport on Monday morning  - Sakshi Post

New Delhi: Delhi and its suburbs woke up to a thick fog on the New Year day and flight operations at the airport were suspended in the morning after visibility on the runways dropped below 50 metres. Train services too have been severely hit in Delhi and several other parts of north India.

Hundreds of travelers were stuck as the departure of all domestic and international flights from the Delhi airport were suspended since Monday morning. The flights started taking off around 11 in the morning as the situation was improving. Arrivals too were affected, with only some aircraft being able to land. Several flights had to queue up at the tarmac for take off.

The waiting hall and the area near the boarding gates at the domestic terminal - Terminal 1(T1) - were packed and teeming with passengers of delayed flights. Passengers were seen arguing with airlines staff at counters about the lack of clear information and announcements.

Departures require a visibility of at least 125 metres, while plane scan land in visibility below 50 metres if the pilots are trained in CAT IIIB, which is Category Three, according to a report on NDTV.

56 trains headed towards the capital are late and 20 have been rescheduled. 15 have been cancelled, the Northern Railways.

Thick fog covered most parts of Delhi and the National Capital Region on Day One of 2018.

On Sunday, flight operations were hit by fog and low visibility between 7.30 and 11am. Over 40 flights were diverted to other airports and several were cancelled. The three-hour suspension of flight operations meant that it took hours for the backlog to clear. Over 270 flights were delayed.

Many stranded passengers tweeted photos of the overcrowded domestic terminal where passengers could be seen sitting on floors and staircases.

Pollution levels in Delhi have shot up in Delhi since last night. The levels of Particulate Matter are in the "Very Poor" category, according to SAFAR (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research).

The temperatures recorded in the city were between 5.6 and 8 degrees in various parts of Delhi.

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