Winter Fog Chaos: Why IndiGo Cancelled Flights Across India on December 26

December 26, 2025 at 05:32 AM•3 min read

IndiGo cancelled multiple domestic flights on December 26 due to persistent winter fog and poor visibility aviation operations impacting major airports nationwide.

Key Points

1IndiGo cancelled multiple domestic flights on December 26, 2025, due to persistent winter fog and poor visibility at airports including Varanasi, Chandigarh, and Guwahati.
2The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) designates December 10 to February 10 as the official winter fog window, requiring airlines to use CAT-III compliant aircraft and trained crew.
3Airlines are mandated to provide timely updates, meals for delays over two hours, and full refunds for cancellations under Ministry of Civil Aviation advisories.
4The operational disruptions highlight the annual challenge of low visibility conditions, which cause significant economic losses across the Indian aviation sector.

The winter season has brought significant disruption to India's commercial aviation sector. IndiGo flight cancellations were reported across the airline's domestic network services on Friday, 26 December. The airline cited persistent winter fog grounds flights and poor visibility as the main reason. These conditions impacted operations in many regions. Major cities saw scheduled flights grounded in the early morning hours.

Operational Impact and Affected Regions

Multiple IndiGo services were cancelled due to forecasted bad weather. Airports at Varanasi (VNS), Chandigarh (IXC), and Guwahati (GAU) were heavily affected. The disruption cascaded to major hubs across the country. Cities like Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Kolkata saw grounded flights. The period between December and early February is notoriously difficult for airlines. Most airports face operational issues reduced visibility during this time. The dense fog in the Indo-Gangetic plains is a severe challenge.

Cancellations included key routes across the domestic network services.

6E 6502 VNS - CCU and 6E 6501 CCU - VNS
6E 775 PAT - CCU and 6E 6917 CCU - PAT
6E 714 BLR - VNS and 6E 6044 VNS - MAA
6E 146 IXC - LKO and 6E 5261 IXC - BOM

Regulatory Framework and Safety Measures

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) monitors this annual event closely. The DGCA officially designates December 10 to February 10 as the winter fog window. This period presents routine challenges to flight operations. The regulator mandates strict DGCA low visibility procedures.

Category-III Compliance

Airlines must ensure adequate preparedness for low-visibility landings. This includes mandatory rostering of CAT-IIIB trained pilots. They must also deploy aircraft compliant with Category-III landing systems. CAT-III technology allows landings even when the Runway Visual Range (RVR) is extremely low. CAT-III-B allows operations when visibility drops below 50 meters. This safety requirement is essential for poor visibility aviation operations.

Passenger Advisory and Industry Context

The Ministry of Civil Aviation has advised airlines to improve passenger support. This includes timely updates and compensation for significant delays. The current disruptions follow a period of heightened DGCA scrutiny on IndiGo. The airline is currently operating a reduced schedule by government mandate.

Passengers are strongly advised to check real-time flight status before heading to the airport. They should monitor the official airline travel advisory channels. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) stresses the importance of operational stability. Weather-related delays create significant economic losses for the industry. For more commercial aviation news and industry updates, visit flying.flights.