The drastic fall in air quality, coupled with the onset of winter fog, significantly impacted morning visibility in the National Capital Territory (NCT), as well as other states within Northern India, with urgent travel notifications issued by Delhi Airport and airline SpiceJet today.
A dense layer of smog, along with shallow fog, on Saturday morning enveloped the capital, propelling the Air Quality Index (AQI) to a ‘poor’ level, with high pollution values exceeding the hazardous 400 marks in different major areas of the capital.
This reduced visibility has prompted a travel alert from the airports regarding a couple of flight delays.
Delhi Airport Issues Low Visibility Advisory
Indira Gandhi International (IGI), Delhi’s airport, stated on Twitter that 'Low Visibility Procedures are in progress'. Although the IGI airport stated that 'Flight movements are normal currently', a mandatory advisory has been called:
"Passengers are requested to contact their concerned airline to get updated flight information," said the advisory.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast that Delhi's sky condition remains partly cloudy for the next two days with 'mist/haze tonight, shallow to moderate fog at morning hours of Dec 14th & 15th'.
Update issued at 06:54 hours.
Kind attention to all flyers!#Fog #FogAlert #DelhiAirport pic.twitter.com/PvOE36WUY3— Delhi Airport (@DelhiAirport) December 13, 2025
The 'maximum temperature' is set to remain at 23 to 25°C, while the 'minim' is set to remain at 8°C.
SpiceJet Warns Passengers In Other Cities
SpiceJet airline posted updates on X, a multi-platform sharing service, advising passengers on the impactful operation of flights in North & East India owing to reduced visibility:
Bengaluru: Departure & arrivals are likely to be impacted owing to reduced visibility.
Northern Regional Airports: Flight movement on Dec 13th is likely to remain impacted owing to reduced visibility in Ayodhya, Gorakhpur, Varanasi, Amritsar, & Darbhanga.
#WeatherUpdate: Due to bad weather (poor visibility) at Bengaluru (BLR), all departures/arrivals and their consequential flights might get affected. The passengers are requested to keep a check on their flight status via https://t.co/2wynECZugy.
— SpiceJet (@flyspicejet) December 13, 2025
AI Technology To Be Used To Overcome Fog Anarchy
Delhi's International Airport Limited has started preparing for reduced visibility during the approaching winters. The airport is soon going to employ AI technologies to cope with the reduced visibility situation better.
The Airport Predictive Operations Centre (APOC), at the Delhi Airport, plans to use real-time data inputs, besides predictive systems, to make faster, data-driven decisions during periods of varying visibility conditions. In addition, all three major runways of the IGI airport are now CAT III-equipped Instrument Landing Systems, which facilitate landing even under zero visibility conditions.
DGCA Acts in the Context of IndiGo Flight Disruptions
The advisories come when the air transport industry is still readjusting from past massive disruption events. The IndiGo airline has stated that a significant number of passengers who were impacted by past flight disruptions have been refunded, with the remaining balance to follow within a short while.
In a significant development, the air transport authority, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has suspended four flight operation inspectors pertaining to past flight disruption incidents, although still pertaining to airline developments under conditions of challenging weather.
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