Sonali Tiwary
A thick blanket of fog settled over Adelaide early Saturday morning, triggering widespread flight disruptions at Adelaide Airport with both arrivals and departures affected.
Nearly every scheduled arrival faced delays of at least 30 minutes, with some flights pushed back by 90 minutes. Departures were similarly impacted, creating a domino effect of scheduling problems throughout the morning.
An Adelaide Airport spokesman confirmed that three flights were diverted to other cities due to the poor visibility conditions.
“An AirAsia flight from Denpasar has diverted to Melbourne and a Malaysia Airlines flight from Kuala Lumpur has diverted to Sydney,” the spokesman said.
The fog’s impact was clearly visible in the departure schedule. Qantas flight QF674 from Adelaide to Melbourne, originally set to depart at 8:00am, was delayed until 9:45am – a delay of nearly two hours.
International travelers faced even longer waits. Air Asia flight QZ421 from Adelaide to Denpasar experienced a four-hour delay, shifting from its scheduled 7:05am departure to 11:10am.
“Early morning departures were delayed but visibility has started to improve and those flights have since been able to depart,” the airport spokesman added.
While conditions began improving as the morning progressed, the airport warned passengers to expect ongoing disruptions. “There may be ongoing delays this morning and we recommend customers check with their airline for the latest flight information,” the spokesman said.
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The fog also created hazardous driving conditions on roads around Adelaide. Police urged motorists to take extra caution while visibility remained low, particularly during the early morning hours when the fog was at its thickest.
Aviation operations are highly sensitive to visibility issues. When fog reduces visibility below certain minimums required for safe takeoffs and landings, flights must either wait for conditions to improve or divert to airports with better weather.
For passengers affected by these disruptions, experts recommend checking airline apps or websites for the latest flight status updates. Arriving at the airport with extra time helps navigate potential changes. Contacting airlines directly about rebooking options is advisable if connections are missed. Passengers should follow airline instructions for onward travel arrangements if their inbound flight was diverted.
While delays were reducing as the fog cleared later in the morning, residual disruptions continued to affect the airport’s schedule due to aircraft being out of position.
Passengers and those picking up travelers were advised to stay informed about the latest arrival and departure information as operations gradually returned to normal.
