India

Blinding fog pushes visibility to zero in Delhi-NCR; flights and trains delayed

January 18, 2026

Blinding fog pushes visibility to zero in Delhi-NCR; flights and trains delayed Dense fog shrouded Delhi-NCR, pushing visibility to zero and delaying several flights and trains amid biting cold. The capital's AQI also choked under severe air pollution, with an AQI of 439. AdvertisementPeople cross a road amid dense fog on a cold winter morning in Delhi. (Photo: PTI)India Today News DeskNew Delhi,UPDATED: Jan 18, 2026 08:28 ISTWritten By: Prateek ChakrabortyA thick blanket of fog blinded Delhi and its adjoining NCR cities on Sunday, reducing visibility to zero as biting cold conditions persisted across the region, leading to several flights and trains being delayed. Compounding the situation, the capital continued to choke under severe air pollution, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) touching 439 at 7 am today.

Credit: Indiatoday

Key Highlights

In response to the worsening air quality, authorities implemented curbs under GRAP-IV, the strictest anti-pollution measures, on Saturday.
advertisementZero visibility was reported at Safdarjung, while it was 100 metres in Palam, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
The dense fog prompted several airlines, including Air India and IndiGo, to issue advisories, warning passengers to anticipate delays and to check their flight status.
According to flight tracking website, Flightradar24, there was a 35 per cent delay in departures and 27 per cent delay in arrivals at the Indira Gandhi International Airport. At 8 am, the Delhi airport tweeted that flight operations are normal with low visibility procedures in progress.
Apart from Delhi-NCR, dense fog reduced visibility to zero in Bareilly, Lucknow and Kushinagar, while it was 100 metres in Amritsar and Gorakhpur, and 200 metres in Prayagraj, the IMD said.

Sources

Blinding fog pushes visibility to zero in Delhi-NCR; flights and trains delayed

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