Flying out of the city early in the mornings is going to be a tough task over the next few days with the Meteorological Department predicting fog and mist till Saturday. On Tuesday, 51 departures as well as 27 arrivals were delayed at the Kempegowda International Airport due of fog.
Six flights had to be diverted as the fog enveloped the airport area in the morning between 4.45 a.m. and 8.30 a.m. While five flights, including two cargo and three passenger aircraft, were diverted to Chennai, a British Airways flight was diverted to Hyderabad.
Four international flights and three air-freight planes were among the 51 which were delayed. Operations resumed around 8.15 a.m. Six flights including flights by Air Indigo, Jet Airways and Air Costa were cancelled.
On Tuesday, the fog reduced visibility to 50 meters from 5.30 a.m. and the situation improved only after 8 a.m. with visibility increasing to 150 meters. By 8.39 a.m., the visibility had increased to 800 meters, allowing for the resumption of operations.
The Meteorological department is predicting fog or mist in the mornings till 24 December, with minimum temperatures in the 15-16 degrees celcius range. The situation may put a dent in travel plans of many ahead of Christmas.
Kempegowda International Airport has the CAT1 system which allows for precision landing with a visibility of 550 meters. Advanced systems at the Indira Gandhi Airport in New Delhi allow operations with a visibility of just 50 meters.
