An intense fog blanket settling over northern and eastern India has forced major carriers—IndiGo, Air India and SpiceJet—to issue rare coordinated travel advisories for December 28-29. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has raised an ‘orange’ alert for Delhi, predicting visibility below 50 metres during the critical early-morning bank of departures.
IndiGo warned customers on X that flights into and out of Dehradun and Guwahati were already facing rolling delays. Air India activated its ‘FogCare’ policy, allowing free rebooking or refunds, while SpiceJet listed ten airports—including Amritsar, Patna and Varanasi—where diversions could occur. Delhi Airport urged passengers to monitor flight status and arrive with extra travel time.
International passengers forced to extend their stay because of these weather-induced disruptions should double-check that their visas and travel documents remain valid. VisaHQ’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/india/) can expedite extensions or new e-visas, track application status in real time and provide expert document review—minimising administrative stress while you juggle shifting flight schedules.
![Dense Fog Triggers Nationwide Airline Advisories; Delhi, Guwahati, Amritsar on Watch]()
Operational headaches extend beyond aviation. Indian Railways has slowed dozens of express services, and logistics firms report that line-haul trucks on the NH 48 corridor are moving at 40 km/h. The Federation of Indian Export Organisations fears missed cut-offs for time-sensitive pharma and apparel shipments headed to Gulf and European customers.
For business travellers, the practical advice is simple: build a 4-6-hour buffer into Monday-morning connections, select afternoon departures where feasible and keep boarding passes on hand for GST compliance if diverted. Mobility managers should circulate airline waiver links and remind travellers that travel-insurance ‘trip delay’ clauses typically kick in after six hours—receipts for food and hotels are essential.
Meteorologists expect the fog layer to persist until a western disturbance arrives mid-week; until then, north-bound journeys will remain vulnerable to last-minute changes.
IndiGo warned customers on X that flights into and out of Dehradun and Guwahati were already facing rolling delays. Air India activated its ‘FogCare’ policy, allowing free rebooking or refunds, while SpiceJet listed ten airports—including Amritsar, Patna and Varanasi—where diversions could occur. Delhi Airport urged passengers to monitor flight status and arrive with extra travel time.
International passengers forced to extend their stay because of these weather-induced disruptions should double-check that their visas and travel documents remain valid. VisaHQ’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/india/) can expedite extensions or new e-visas, track application status in real time and provide expert document review—minimising administrative stress while you juggle shifting flight schedules.
Operational headaches extend beyond aviation. Indian Railways has slowed dozens of express services, and logistics firms report that line-haul trucks on the NH 48 corridor are moving at 40 km/h. The Federation of Indian Export Organisations fears missed cut-offs for time-sensitive pharma and apparel shipments headed to Gulf and European customers.
For business travellers, the practical advice is simple: build a 4-6-hour buffer into Monday-morning connections, select afternoon departures where feasible and keep boarding passes on hand for GST compliance if diverted. Mobility managers should circulate airline waiver links and remind travellers that travel-insurance ‘trip delay’ clauses typically kick in after six hours—receipts for food and hotels are essential.
Meteorologists expect the fog layer to persist until a western disturbance arrives mid-week; until then, north-bound journeys will remain vulnerable to last-minute changes.
