Delhi Airport Winter Fog Delays
Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) has a fog season, from about 10 December to 10 February, when dense fog between midnight and mid-morning delays hundreds of flights and cancels dozens on the worst days. This guide explains when and why it happens, what the airlines and the airport do, how to plan around it and where to wait, as of September 2026.
When the fog comes
The official fog window runs 10 December to 10 February, with the worst weeks in late December and January, when the Indo-Gangetic plain’s cold, still air and the region’s pollution produce fog that cuts visibility to under 50 m between midnight and dawn and lifts between 9:00 am and noon. The winter of 2025 to 2026 saw more than 60 cancellations on 15 December, about 150 on 31 December, 66 on 2 January and, over 14 and 15 January, more than a thousand delays and nearly 300 cancellations. Arrivals divert to Jaipur, Lucknow and Amritsar when the airport closes, and the morning bank of domestic departures is the first to slip, with the afternoon flights delayed by the knock-on.
What CAT IIIB means
The airport has instrument landing systems rated CAT IIIB, which allow landings in a runway visual range down to 50 m, on two of its runways, though one was under repair through the 2025 to 2026 winter and the other only partly available. Only aircraft with the equipment and crews with the training can use them, so airlines roster fog-qualified pilots and CAT IIIB aircraft on Delhi routes during the window; take-offs need about 125 m of visibility, more than a CAT IIIB landing, and below the limits the airport stops movements. The airport issues advisories by SMS and on its website and social channels, and the airlines by app, usually the evening before a bad forecast.
Planning around it
Book the afternoon or evening departures in the window rather than the 6:00 am to 10:00 am bank, which carries most of the risk; the evening flights suffer when the day’s delays pile up but rarely cancel. Leave a night’s buffer before an international connection, and check the airline’s fog advisory the evening before, since the carriers now cancel in advance on days of near-zero forecasts and offer free rebooking. Indian rules oblige the airline to refund or rebook a cancelled flight free of charge and to provide meals during long delays, but weather delays carry no compensation and a hotel is at the airline’s discretion, so book a room near the airport with free cancellation and cancel it if the flight goes.
Where to wait
For a delay of a few hours, the Holiday Inn Express New Delhi International Airport T3 on Level 5 of Terminal 3 sells rooms from a 1-hour block, and the lounges in the lounges guide offer showers and a meal for a walk-in fee. For a cancelled morning flight rebooked to the evening or the next day, the Aerocity hotels one metro stop away are where to wait: the ibis New Delhi Aerocity and the Lemon Tree Hotel, Delhi Airport at the lowest rates, the Novotel New Delhi Aerocity and the Holiday Inn New Delhi Aerocity with pools and 24-hour food, and the Pullman New Delhi Aerocity with a heated pool for the cold weeks. The metro runs regardless of the fog; the cabs slow down on the fogged roads, and the hotel transfers guide covers each hotel. A morning flight caught in the fog is also a reason to have slept at the airport rather than in the city: the sleeping in the airport guide and the terminal guide cover the options.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the fog season at Delhi Airport?
The airport's official fog window runs from 10 December to 10 February, with the densest fog in late December and January between about midnight and 10:00 am. On the worst days hundreds of flights are delayed and dozens cancelled, and the disruption carries into the afternoon.
Why are flights cancelled in Delhi fog if the airport has CAT IIIB runways?
CAT IIIB lets suitably equipped aircraft with trained crews land in visibility down to 50 m, but not every aircraft and crew is qualified, take-offs need more visibility than landings, and when visibility falls below the limits nothing moves. Airlines cancel in advance on days of near-zero forecasts.
What are my rights if my flight is delayed by fog at Delhi?
Indian rules oblige the airline to offer a refund or a free rebooking for cancellations and to provide meals for long delays, but weather delays do not carry compensation, and hotels are the airline's decision. Check the airline's fog advisory the evening before and rebook early if the forecast is bad.
Information last verified: September 26, 2026