Unexpected arrival: Fog disrupts air traffic

Civil Aviation Authority denied any flight delays even though its website confirmed delays of around 45 to 60 minutes

KARACHI: Dense fog crept into Karachi and its surrounding areas early Wednesday, decreasing road visibility and air mobility.

"We have been witnessing misty weather for the past four days but on Wednesday morning dense fog assembled on the Karachi horizon. This led to less visibility," said Met director Abdul Rashid, adding that the fog, recorded at 300 metres, was at its peak at 7am. At around 8:30am the fog, recorded at one kilometre, started to clear out, he explained.

Rashid expressed surprise at the fog's descent on Karachi in October, instead of its usual appearance in November.

Meanwhile, several domestic and international air passengers travelling out of Karachi experienced delays. Osama Tauqir, who was travelling to Lahore, said his flight, scheduled to fly at 8am, took off an hour late. Another passenger, Athar Abbas, scheduled to travel to Istanbul at 8:30am, said it was past noon by the time passengers entered the plane.

Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority denied any flight delays even though its website confirmed delays of around 45 minutes to an hour of eight flights from 7am till around noon. A spokesperson of the Pakistan International Airlines said the unusual fog was behind the delays.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 27^th, 2016.