Delhi: 46 flights diverted from the airport due to dense winter fog

As the winter season has gripped the northernmost parts of India, an official statement released by Delhi airport authorities said that forty-six flights have been diverted due to dense fog at Delhi airport till December 20 midnight. On Friday, nearly twelve flights were diverted due to minimum visibility at the runway at Delhi airport till 08:30 pm. Amidst the continuous dip in temperatures, the Lok Sabha Speaker, Om Birla was seen distributing blankets to the people sleeping outside Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences. 

Reasons for diversion

Bad weather is the foremost reason cited for the diversion in flights. Also, the flight operations at the airport are impacted due to crew operational limitations. Apart from this, a few takeoffs and landings irrespective of the weather continue to take place at the airport.

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IMD Winter Forecast

Complementing the India Meteorological Department (IMD) prediction, winters have finally swung into action in the northernmost parts of the country this year. As per the forecast issued by the IMD, winters in the country are likely to be more dominant in the northern regions barring the southern states. It has been snowing in the states like Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. 

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This comes as the IMD has released the ‘Seasonal Temperature Outlook’ data for the month of December to February. IMD in a press release highlighted that “the upcoming winter season (December to February) is likely to experience warmer than average minimum temperatures over most parts of the country except over northernmost parts of India, thus indicating a warmer winter season over the country.” 

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Om Birla distributes blankets 

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Friday distributed blankets to people near the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). Birla distributed blankets to the needy and homeless people who are forced to sleep in the open. On Friday, cold wave conditions prevailed in parts of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, India Meteorological Department (IMD) stated.

(With ANI Inputs)

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