More than 20 MLAs and three ministers from Karnataka were stranded inside an IndiGo aircraft at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport on Monday morning after adverse weather conditions prevented
the flight from taking off.
The IndiGo flight, which was scheduled to depart for Belagavi at 6.45 am, remained grounded due to poor visibility, leaving the passengers confined inside the aircraft for an extended period.
The legislators and ministers were returning to Karnataka from Delhi when the delay occurred and continued to wait on board, hoping for clearance as weather conditions disrupted flight operations across the national capital.
Among those on the delayed flight were Karnataka ministers Laxmi Hebbalkar, Sharan Prakash Patil, and HK Patil, along with over 20 MLAs.
Passengers were reportedly advised to remain seated as authorities monitored weather conditions and coordinated with air traffic control.
The delay coincided with a day of extremely poor air quality and dense fog across Delhi.
The city woke up to a thick layer of smog on Monday, with the air quality remaining in the ‘severe’ category across the National Capital Region (NCR), raising serious health concerns for residents.
Visibility dropped sharply in several parts of the region, affecting early morning movement and, in some cases, disrupting flight schedules.
According to the Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi, the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 457 as of 6 am.
In the Akshardham area, the AQI was recorded at 493, while in Dwarka Sector-14, it stood at 469.
Wazirpur, Rohini, and Ashok Vihar recorded a 24-hour average AQI of 500, the maximum level measurable by monitoring instruments, highlighting the severity of the pollution crisis gripping the city.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had issued a dense fog warning for the morning and forenoon hours, with Safdarjung observatory reporting particularly low visibility.
The maximum temperature in the city was recorded at 23 degrees Celsius, while the minimum settled at 8 degrees Celsius.
With pollution levels reaching critical limits, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) activated Stage-IV of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) across the NCR.
Under Stage-IV, stringent restrictions are now in place, including a complete halt on construction and demolition activities, suspension of operations at stone crushers and mining units, and tighter curbs on polluting vehicles, particularly four-wheelers on major urban roads.
The measures are aimed at preventing further deterioration of air quality and reducing public exposure to toxic air.
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