VARANASI: Dense fog disrupted flights at Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport in Babatpur on Monday, November 9, 2026, affecting morning arrivals and departures. Two reports published that day described zero visibility until about 8 am IST and roughly two hours of disruption, with operations improving later in the morning.
For residents heading to Babatpur and families collecting arriving passengers, the immediate task is to check the individual flight with its airline. The Airports Authority of India warns on its Varanasi flight schedule page that displayed dates and times are tentative and passengers should verify the actual schedule with the carrier.
Travellers should also confirm their reporting and boarding deadlines before changing their departure from home. A delayed arrival or a revised departure display should not be treated as permission to miss check-in. IndiGo's published airport instructions specify separate deadlines for domestic and international journeys, making the booking's own instructions particularly important.
What changed on Monday morning
The two accounts agree that low visibility affected both landing and take-off at Babatpur. They also agree on revised departure times for two IndiGo services. The Bengaluru flight, 6E-6559, left at 9:45 am instead of its scheduled 7:50 am, while Delhi flight 6E-2215 departed at 9:25 am instead of 7:30 am. All these times refer to Monday, November 9, in IST.
| Departure on November 9 | Scheduled time | Reported departure |
|---|---|---|
| 6E-6559 to Bengaluru | 7:50 am | 9:45 am |
| 6E-2215 to Delhi | 7:30 am | 9:25 am |
Both reports place the first Bengaluru arrival after 9:30 am, but differ on its precise landing minute. A single exact time cannot therefore be established from those accounts. They describe an improvement in visibility as the morning progressed. Monday's reported movements are a record of that disruption, rather than a timetable for Tuesday's passengers.
Airport weather scientist D. Manish Rai was reported as saying that morning fog could affect operations over the following two or three days. That is an outlook for possible disruption, not confirmation that any particular service on November 10 or 11 will be delayed. Passengers need a current airline update for their travel date.
What residents should do
IndiGo's official check-in requirements recommend reaching check-in at least two hours before a domestic departure. Domestic check-in counters close 60 minutes before scheduled departure, and boarding gates close 25 minutes before departure. Passengers must also follow any subsequent boarding instructions issued at the airport.
For international travel, the same page recommends reporting at least four hours before departure. Its international counter closure is 75 minutes before scheduled departure, with gates closing 25 minutes before departure. Those are IndiGo's published requirements; customers of other carriers should check their own airline's instructions rather than apply these timings to every flight from Varanasi.
The airline's delay and cancellation information says advance notifications use the contact details supplied with the booking. Revised itineraries are also sent to the registered email address. A passenger who booked through someone else should make sure the person receiving those updates passes on the latest itinerary before the journey to Babatpur.
IndiGo says customers facing a delay of more than two hours can choose a full refund or an alternative IndiGo flight without an additional charge, subject to availability. Passengers should ask the airline to confirm how its policy applies to their booking. That published provision should not be read as a promise of seats on a particular replacement flight or as another carrier's refund policy.
IndiGo also publishes separate options when a later portion of its flight is cancelled while a passenger is already in transit. These include remaining at the transit station with a refund for the unfinished portion, returning to the starting point with a refund, accepting credit for future travel, or taking an alternative IndiGo flight, subject to availability. The passenger should establish which situation applies before choosing an option.
For airport information, AAI lists the Babatpur airport office at +91-542-2622155. Airline booking changes should still be checked with the carrier. IndiGo's published assistance numbers are 0124-6173838 and 0124-4973838.
Keep the next part of the journey in view
The airline also states that it does not connect to other airlines and is not responsible for losses when customers try to connect to or from another carrier. Anyone combining separate bookings should check both services before accepting a revised journey. This is particularly relevant when the delayed arrival leaves less time for the next departure.
For local travel context, earlier reports cover the separate November 2 flight diversions, festival passenger arrangements at Varanasi Junction and the announced Diwali and Chhath bus plan. Those reports provide background for onward travel; Monday's airport disruption does not establish a change to those rail or bus arrangements.
