Flight delays, cancellations as fog blankets Delhi: UAE travellers affected

Dubai: A few flights between the UAE and Delhi have been delayed or cancelled due to dense fog that continues to blanket the region.

UAE-based passengers travelling to India’s capital have been advised to check their flight status before leaving for the airport, with delays of up to two and a half hours reported across major carriers, including Emirates, IndiGo, flydubai, and Air India Express.

IndiGo, one of the busiest operators on the UAE-India route, has suffered some delays. However, the airline has cancelled several domestic services to ensure safe operations throughout the day. If you have a connecting flight from Delhi to another destination in India, you might be in a fix.

"Dense fog continues to affect visibility at Delhi and other airports across Northern India, leading to delays and changes to flight schedules," the airline stated in a travel advisory.

"Prolonged low visibility during the morning hours has impacted air traffic movement, and as a result, some flights have been cancelled to ensure safe and compliant operations through the rest of the day."

Dubai Airports' flight schedules show some disruptions to Delhi-bound services, with morning departures particularly affected.

The flydubai FZ 441 flight, scheduled to depart at 05:05, eventually left at 07:46—a delay of two hours and 41 minutes. The service, which codeshares with Emirates as EK 2124, departed from Terminal 2.

Air India Express flight SG 006 also experienced delays, with the 11:10 scheduled departure pushed back to 14:30, leaving passengers waiting more than three hours.

Emirates flight EK 510, scheduled for a 04:20 departure from Terminal 3, left at 04:52—a delay of 32 minutes. The airline’s later-morning service, EK 516, scheduled to depart at 09:55, departed at 10:15, suffering minor delays.

Meanwhile, Etihad Airways flight EY219 to Abu Dhabi was also delayed due to low visibility. The airline confirmed the delay, citing adverse weather in Delhi as the cause. “We apologise for the delay, and our teams are doing their best to help you on your journey,” Etihad said in a statement.

Air India Express issued a specific warning about the ripple effects of the weather disruption beyond the airport.

The airline confirmed that "airports in North India are impacting flight schedules" and advised passengers to "check their flight status before leaving the airport and plan their journey keeping in mind road traffic."

The carrier’s AI 930 service, scheduled to depart at 09:55, was delayed until 11:30, whilst the later AI 918 flight maintained its 13:10 schedule.

Despite IndiGo’s decision to cancel some services on its network, no flights from Dubai to Delhi have been officially cancelled in Dubai Airports's schedules.

All affected flights have been marked as "departed" or "delayed" rather than cancelled, suggesting that airlines are attempting to maintain services despite challenging conditions.

Dense fog affecting Delhi and surrounding airports is a seasonal phenomenon that typically disrupts operations during the winter months, when temperatures drop and humidity rises, creating low-visibility conditions, particularly in the early morning hours.

The disruption comes during a busy travel period, with significant passenger volumes between the UAE and India for both business and leisure purposes.