At least 60 flights have been delayed and canceled and more than 50 trains delayed after a dense fog enveloped New Delhi on January 20th, reducing visibility to less than 100m (330ft), local media reported. The delays and cancellations affected thousands of passengers at airport and railway stations. More than 400 people reportedly died as cold weather swept through northern India in January, with most fatalities reported in Uttar Pradesh state.
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Dense fog and severe cold continued to affect flights, trains, and road traffic across much of northern India on January 21st, local media reported. At least 27 domestic and international flights were diverted, 18 were canceled, and around 20 were rescheduled on the evening of January 20th, affecting thousands of passengers. Dozens of trains were canceled and rescheduled as taxi drivers refused to drive outside of major cities due to reduced visibility.
The country’s civil aviation ministry announced on January 22nd that it placed India’s airports on high alert after Western intelligence agencies warned the government of a possible attempt to hijack an Indian airliner. The alert warns that an unspecified militant group, likely to be Al-Qaida or Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), may seek to hijack flights from India or those originating in neighboring South Asian countries. Passengers will be subjected to extra screening while sky marshals will be deployed.