Aviation Crisis Deepens as Delhi Airport Cancels 228 Flights Due to Low Visiblity

As Delhi and the adjoining NCR area woke up today (December 15th, 2025) to a thick blanket of smog covering everything in sight, over 228 flights have been cancelled from the Delhi ‘s Indira Gandhi International Airport due to low visibility.

Out of the 228 cancelled flights, 131 flights were scheduled for departure and 97 were due for arrival. In addition to this, 5 flights were diverted. The whole situation impacted the aviation system massively and passengers were stranded at the airports or had to cancel their plans.

This comes just days after the massive IndiGo operational failure that saw over 1000 flights being cancelled leading to a complete breakdown of domestic air travel in the country.

Civil Aviation bears the brunt of winter

A mix of fog triggered by the cold winter as well as AQI dipping to severe levels have poised a serious challenge to aviation systems in the country, which are anyway dealing with the aftermath of the IndiGo disaster.

Earlier today, IndiGo issued a statement saying, “Low visibility (below minima), due to dense fog, has severely impacted operations at Delhi and other airports across northern India, which is unfortunately beyond our control. Our teams are closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with Delhi airport, in line with established safety protocols," IndiGo said in the press statement.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation, too, issued a "Heavy Fog Alert for Northern India", cautioning passengers to check their flight status with their respective airlines before heading to the airport. Delhi Airport itself advised passengers of potential delays, confirming that operations are currently being conducted under CAT III conditions, which allow for take-offs and landings in very low visibility but significantly slow the pace of air traffic movement.

Also Read: Air Pollution Chokes Delhi: 90% Surge In Respiratory Illness in OPDs