On the morning of February 3, North India’s notorious winter fog returned with a vengeance, blanketing Indira Gandhi International Airport with visibility as low as 100 meters. Delhi Airport’s official X-handle showed a live update link and warned travelers to “expect delays and check flight status frequently.” (indiatoday.in)

According to FlightAware data, more than 120 domestic flights and 34 international flights were delayed by 09:00 IST. The Category III-B instrument landing system kept the runway open, but ramp operations were delayed as ground crews struggled with poor visibility.

Business travelers taking early morning shuttle buses to Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad were the worst affected, experiencing delays of 70 minutes on average. Several widebodies arriving from Europe were placed in a holding pattern or diverted to Jaipur and Ahmedabad to conserve fuel. The airline has activated a waiver policy that allows for free rebooking within 24 hours.

In the meantime, keeping track of your travel documents can prevent airport delays from snowballing into missed business opportunities. VisaHQ’s India service (https://www.visahq.com/india/) allows stranded passengers to apply for an emergency e-visa, renewal or transit permit completely online, with real-time status alerts and courier collection. Organizing your documents quickly gives you more flexibility when rebooking your flight or rerouting it through another hub.

The India Meteorological Department expects dense fog to persist till February 5, especially from 04:00 to 10:00 (IST). With several pile-ups occurring on expressways around Delhi as well, mobility managers should advise executives to relax schedules, book flexible fares and carefully arrange last-mile ground transportation.