Dense fog continued to blanket Bhubaneswar on Friday, severely impacting air traffic operations at Biju Patnaik International Airport. Reduced visibility forced authorities to cancel at least three flights and delay five others, causing inconvenience to hundreds of passengers.

According to airport officials, flights to Ahmedabad, Kolkata and Delhi were cancelled due to poor visibility, while services to Varanasi, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Durgapur and Hyderabad were delayed by two to three hours. Runway visibility reportedly dropped below the minimum requirement of 550 metres, making safe take-off and landing operations impossible during early morning hours.

Officials confirmed that similar conditions prevailed on Thursday, when at least five flights were diverted due to dense fog. Passengers were advised to check flight schedules in advance and remain alert for further delays as foggy conditions are expected to continue.

Several travellers expressed frustration over prolonged waiting hours and disrupted travel plans. One passenger, Siddharth Naidu, said his early morning flight to Delhi was delayed by several hours, affecting his onward journey to Udaipur.

Meanwhile, Bhubaneswar remained shrouded in dense fog for the second straight day, though visibility showed slight improvement later in the morning. The Meteorological Centre has issued yellow and orange alerts for dense fog across several districts, warning that such conditions may persist over the next few days.