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A severe bout of dense fog and near-zero visibility across Bhubaneswar has significantly disrupted flight operations at Biju Patnaik International Airport (BBI) over the past several days, causing multiple flight delays, cancellations, and diversions.
Extreme Low Visibility Hits City
Early morning temperatures across the Odisha capital dropped sharply, and thick fog blanketed large parts of the city, including major transport corridors and the airport. In the critical pre-dawn hours, visibility levels plummeted to zero metres in areas around the runway and nearby localities essentially meaning pilots and air-traffic controllers could not see the runway or airport terrain from the air or ground
Meteorological observations from the region confirmed this extreme condition, with city readings reporting visibility dropping down to zero amid “extremely dense fog.
At specific reporting times in the morning, visibility was recorded at only 50 metres, far below the minimum safe threshold for flight operations.
Major Flight Delays and Cancellations
The dense fog has directly impacted arrival and departure schedules:
- Several flights scheduled to depart Bhubaneswar or arrive from destinations such as Kolkata, Delhi, Hyderabad, Guwahati, and Chennai were delayed by up to 2–2.5 hours due to restricted visibility.
- In some reports from previous days, multiple flights were cancelled altogether when visibility remained too low for safe operation.
Earlier disruptions included flights being diverted from Bhubaneswar to alternate airports like Ranchi, Kolkata, and Chennai when the runway conditions were deemed unsafe.
Airport officials stated that not a single aircraft could depart during the most severe fog period in the early morning on multiple days, as runway conditions did not meet aviation safety visibility minima. The Airports Authority of India and airline carriers have advised passengers to check flight status directly with airlines and to expect possible changes to schedules over the next few days while the dense fog persists.
Passenger Inconvenience Grows
Many travellers at Bhubaneswar airport were left waiting due to delayed departures and missed connections. Some passengers reported being stuck at the airport for several hours, affecting onward travel plans.
Airport authorities have emphasised that safety is the priority aircraft will only take off or land when visibility is adequate to ensure safe operations. The standard aviation requirement often mandates at least several hundred metres of runway visual range for landing and take-off, which dense fog has repeatedly prevented.
Weather Forecast: More Fog Ahead
Meteorological departments have issued yellow and orange warnings for dense fog across several districts of Odisha, indicating that these low-visibility conditions may continue in the coming days. Travelers have been urged to allow additional time for connections and to stay updated through official weather and airline advisories.
Why This Happens
Dense fog usually forms when moist air near the ground cools rapidly overnight a common winter weather pattern in east and north India. When this moisture condenses into tiny water droplets suspended in the air, it drastically reduces visibility. This weather phenomenon is especially disruptive to airport operations because pilots rely on both visual and instrument guidance but extremely low visibility limits the effectiveness of even advanced landing systems.
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