ID :
101820
Fri, 01/22/2010 - 17:11
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/101820
The shortlink copeid
THICK BLANKET OF FOG CAUSES FLIGHT DISRUPTIONS IN DELHI
From Rosmah Mohamad Salim
NEW DELHI, Jan 22, (Bernama) -- A thick blanket of fog crippled flight
operations at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) here, causing over
200 flight delays for between one and 10 hours, with 25 flights cancelled and 28
diverted.
Described as the worst fog in seven years, thousands of passengers were
stranded at the international and domestic terminals with serpentine queues at
the airline and security counters, according to the Hindustan Times.
On Wednesday night, dense fog began to set in, visibility was poor for
nearly
15 hours at the airport and the closure of Delhi's air space for an
hour, starting 11.15am, for Republic Day fly past rehearsals made matters worse.
India celebrates its Republic Day on Jan 26.
When operations resumed around noon, flights came in a flood, severely
stressing the airport infrastructure. Airlines ran out of ladders, keeping
passengers on board for about 30 minutes, in some instances.
And when they finally disembarked, the wait for checked-in luggage stretched
torturously. Each conveyor belt carried luggage of two or three flights and
passengers fought and pushed to be closer to the belt.
As visibility dropped to zero at the airport, flights were cancelled one
after another. Between Wednesday evening and Thursday evening, about 200 flights
were delayed, 28 flights were diverted and 25 were cancelled.
While the terminals were bursting at the seams with passengers of delayed or
cancelled flights, the airside was choked with aircraft.
A senior official of a full cost carrier who did not wish to be named, said
the airport was already full with aircraft waiting to take off and when
visibility improved, there was a horde of flights arriving at IGIA, which
resulted in congestion and a shortage of parking bays.
Other than Delhi, fog also engulfed northern India, especially Punjab,
Haryana, Eastern Rajasthan and Western Uttar Pradesh. Flights and train
operations were badly hit in Chandigarh, Amritsar, Jaipur and Agra.
It was the same story for train operations as 59 were delayed, 30
re-scheduled and 35 cancelled. Among trains delayed were the popular Rajdhanis
and Shatabdis express.
Meanwhile, driving in Delhi became a nightmare, with visibility near zero,
as one person died when a vehicle collided with his scooter on the Akshardham
flyover in East Delhi. The second death was that of a pedestrian killed by a
tractor in Mandavli, also in East Delhi.
According to the meteorological department, there would be more fog ahead,
with visibility going down to 50 metres on Friday morning. Although the fog
will remain for the next few days, its duration would reduce.
-- BERNAMA
NEW DELHI, Jan 22, (Bernama) -- A thick blanket of fog crippled flight
operations at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) here, causing over
200 flight delays for between one and 10 hours, with 25 flights cancelled and 28
diverted.
Described as the worst fog in seven years, thousands of passengers were
stranded at the international and domestic terminals with serpentine queues at
the airline and security counters, according to the Hindustan Times.
On Wednesday night, dense fog began to set in, visibility was poor for
nearly
15 hours at the airport and the closure of Delhi's air space for an
hour, starting 11.15am, for Republic Day fly past rehearsals made matters worse.
India celebrates its Republic Day on Jan 26.
When operations resumed around noon, flights came in a flood, severely
stressing the airport infrastructure. Airlines ran out of ladders, keeping
passengers on board for about 30 minutes, in some instances.
And when they finally disembarked, the wait for checked-in luggage stretched
torturously. Each conveyor belt carried luggage of two or three flights and
passengers fought and pushed to be closer to the belt.
As visibility dropped to zero at the airport, flights were cancelled one
after another. Between Wednesday evening and Thursday evening, about 200 flights
were delayed, 28 flights were diverted and 25 were cancelled.
While the terminals were bursting at the seams with passengers of delayed or
cancelled flights, the airside was choked with aircraft.
A senior official of a full cost carrier who did not wish to be named, said
the airport was already full with aircraft waiting to take off and when
visibility improved, there was a horde of flights arriving at IGIA, which
resulted in congestion and a shortage of parking bays.
Other than Delhi, fog also engulfed northern India, especially Punjab,
Haryana, Eastern Rajasthan and Western Uttar Pradesh. Flights and train
operations were badly hit in Chandigarh, Amritsar, Jaipur and Agra.
It was the same story for train operations as 59 were delayed, 30
re-scheduled and 35 cancelled. Among trains delayed were the popular Rajdhanis
and Shatabdis express.
Meanwhile, driving in Delhi became a nightmare, with visibility near zero,
as one person died when a vehicle collided with his scooter on the Akshardham
flyover in East Delhi. The second death was that of a pedestrian killed by a
tractor in Mandavli, also in East Delhi.
According to the meteorological department, there would be more fog ahead,
with visibility going down to 50 metres on Friday morning. Although the fog
will remain for the next few days, its duration would reduce.
-- BERNAMA
