Patna: Air traffic at Patna airport was disrupted on Wednesday after dense fog sharply reduced visibility, leading to the cancellation of five flights and raising the prospect of continued disruption over the coming days.
According to airport officials, visibility dropped to less than 100 metres in the early hours, making safe flight operations difficult. Most of the cancellations involved IndiGo services and were linked either directly to adverse weather conditions or to knock-on effects at source airports.
The cancelled flights included services on the Kolkata–Patna–Kolkata sector, affected by bad weather at Kolkata airport, as well as Mumbai–Patna–Mumbai and Delhi–Patna–Delhi flights impacted by poor conditions at departure points. One Delhi–Patna service was cancelled for operational reasons, airport authorities said.
Passengers were advised to check flight status with airlines before travelling to the airport, as delays and cancellations were communicated at short notice. Several travellers reported inconvenience due to limited visibility on travel updates and cascading schedule changes.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said dense fog conditions are likely to persist at many places across Bihar for the next three to four days. Meteorologists warned that early-morning visibility could remain severely restricted, potentially affecting both air and rail traffic.
Airport officials said they were monitoring weather updates closely and coordinating with airlines to minimise disruption, but cautioned that operations would continue to depend on visibility conditions in the coming days.
