DENSE FOG GROUNDS DELHI FLIGHTS, DELAYS MESSI’S ARRIVAL

Severe smog and dense fog crippled air operations in Delhi-NCR, triggering mass flight cancellations and delays as air quality plunged into the ‘severe’ category.

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Dense smog and fog crippled air operations across Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) on Monday, leading to widespread flight disruptions and delays, even impacting the travel plans of Argentine football legend Lionel Messi.

As visibility dropped sharply in the early hours, at least 61 flights were cancelled and over 400 delayed, while five inbound flights to Delhi were diverted, according to aviation sources. The Air Quality Index (AQI) in the capital stood at a ‘severe’ 454 at 7.05 am, as per data from the Central Pollution Control Board's (CPCB) Sameer app. AQI levels had touched 461 on Sunday, marking the second-worst December air quality day on record.