India’s worst cold spell in five years crippled aviation schedules on 12 January, with market-leader IndiGo scrapping over 90 domestic sectors and warning of further disruptions at key northern airports. Financial Express data show Delhi accounted for the bulk of cancellations, with knock-on impacts at Bengaluru, Chennai, Ahmedabad and tier-2 cities such as Patna and Nagpur.
Air India and SpiceJet released parallel alerts covering more than 20 airports—including Srinagar, Jaipur and Ayodhya—citing CAT-III low-visibility operations and possible diversions. Passengers were urged to monitor airline apps, accept proactive re-bookings and arrive early for security checks that slow in foggy conditions.
![Dense Fog Forces IndiGo to Cancel 90+ Flights; Major Carriers Issue All-India Weather Advisories]()
For business travellers the timing is awkward: January is peak quarter-close travel for auditors, sales teams and expatriate managers. Corporates with tight SLA commitments are revisiting remote-work contingencies or shifting meetings to southern hubs less affected by the cold wave. Travel managers report a fourfold surge in same-day rail bookings as executives seek overland alternatives.
The DGCA reiterated its directive that carriers must provide meals, hotel accommodation or refunds for delays exceeding three hours, though enforcement remains patchy. Aviation analysts caution that persistent north-Indian fog typically lasts until mid-February, meaning scheduling volatility could stretch well beyond this week’s crisis.
Air India and SpiceJet released parallel alerts covering more than 20 airports—including Srinagar, Jaipur and Ayodhya—citing CAT-III low-visibility operations and possible diversions. Passengers were urged to monitor airline apps, accept proactive re-bookings and arrive early for security checks that slow in foggy conditions.
For business travellers the timing is awkward: January is peak quarter-close travel for auditors, sales teams and expatriate managers. Corporates with tight SLA commitments are revisiting remote-work contingencies or shifting meetings to southern hubs less affected by the cold wave. Travel managers report a fourfold surge in same-day rail bookings as executives seek overland alternatives.
The DGCA reiterated its directive that carriers must provide meals, hotel accommodation or refunds for delays exceeding three hours, though enforcement remains patchy. Aviation analysts caution that persistent north-Indian fog typically lasts until mid-February, meaning scheduling volatility could stretch well beyond this week’s crisis.
Source: The Financial Express
