Three flights cancelled, five delayed at Bhubaneswar airport as fog disruptions hit second straight day

Dense fog continued to disrupt normal life in Bhubaneswar on Friday, severely impacting flight operations at Biju Patnaik International Airport due to sharply reduced visibility. As of the latest reports, at least three flights were cancelled and five others delayed as runway visibility fell below operational minimums, airport authorities confirmed.

Sources reported that flights to Ahmedabad, Kolkata and Delhi were cancelled due to poor visibility conditions, while services to Varanasi, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Durgapur and Hyderabad were delayed by two to three hours.

Airport officials said dense fog over the runway prevented safe take-off and landing operations during the early morning hours.

According to officials, the runway visibility dropped below the minimum requirement of 550 metres needed for flight operations. As a result, air traffic was regulated in accordance with standard aviation safety protocols to ensure passenger safety.

On Thursday, at least five flights had their routes diverted due to fog-related visibility issues, officials added.

Passengers Complain Of Schedule Disruptions

Passengers were advised to check their flight status with airlines before leaving for the airport. The Bhubaneswar airport director also urged travellers to remain alert to possible delays as foggy conditions are expected to persist in the coming days.

Despite arrangements being made at the airport in line with protocol, several passengers faced inconvenience due to prolonged waiting hours and missed connections. Some passengers reported difficulty reaching their destinations on schedule because of repeated delays.

"I had a flight at 7:15 am to Delhi and then to Udaipur. The flight was delayed to 10 am, and now it has been delayed further till 10:30 am. There may be an over 4-hour delay. I will now have to make changes to the connecting journey. Now that I have entered the airport, I cannot leave and will have to wait for 3 hours,” said Siddharth Naidu, a passenger.

Also Read: Boat services in Odisha’s Chilika Lake suspended till 11 am daily amid dense fog, fatal ferry incident

Fog Conditions Persist Across Capital

Meanwhile, the Odisha capital remained enveloped in a dense fog layer for the second consecutive day, though visibility showed marginal improvement compared to Thursday. Distant roads and open areas continued to remain partially obscured, affecting both air and surface transport during morning hours.

The Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre has issued yellow and orange warnings for dense fog over the next four days. According to the forecast, fog conditions are likely to persist across several parts of the state until January 6.

For the next 24 hours, the weather department has issued a yellow warning for dense fog in 14 districts, while three districts have been placed under an orange warning.