The Centre on Monday directed Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) to immediately operationalise IGIA’s main CAT III B runway – 28/10 – as heavy and unprecedented fog continues to cause flight disruptions across the country, especially North India.
The CAT III B runway has been closed for repair work since last September and the government has directed to make it operational immediately.
A CAT IIIB system facilitates precise approach and landing under specific visibility conditions, typically no less than 50 feet (15m) and a visual range of fewer than 200 meters, but not below 50 meters.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued a slew of directives to airlines and airport operators to reduce the massive inconvenience being caused to flyers during this foggy season.
Addressing the visibility issue due to dense fog in the national capital, Union aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia in a social media post said “Yesterday (Jan 14), Delhi witnessed unprecedented fog wherein visibility fluctuated for several hours, and at times, dropped to zero between 5 am and 9 am,”
He added that the authorities were compelled to enforce a shutdown of operations for some time even on CAT III runways (CAT III runways cannot handle Zero-Visibility operations).
The minister said that the decision was taken keeping passenger safety in mind, which remains the foremost priority for all in the aviation ecosystem.
Yesterday, Delhi witnessed unprecedented fog wherein visibility fluctuated for several hours, and at times, dropped to zero between 5 AM to 9 AM.The authorities, therefore, were compelled to enforce a shut-down of operations for some time even on CAT III runways (CAT III…
— Jyotiraditya M. Scindia (@JM_Scindia) January 15, 2024
Here are the steps being taken by the government in the matter:
- Delhi Airport has been asked to immediately expedite the operationalization of the CAT III-enabled 4th runway (in addition to the existing CAT III-enabled runway) to the satisfaction of the DGCA, to get approvals.
- The DGCA will issue an SOP for airlines on better communication and facilitation of passengers to minimise discomfort given flight cancellations & delays due to adverse weather.
On the recent incident of attack on an IndiGo pilot by one of the passengers, the Aviation Minister said that the incidences of unruly behaviour amidst such conditions are unacceptable, and will be dealt with strongly in line with the existing legal provisions.
Delhi Fog: Flight Disruptions
A total of five flights were diverted at the Delhi airport early morning on Monday due to bad weather, according to an official.
Four flights were diverted to Jaipur and one flight to Ahmedabad between 1 am and 5 am, the official said.
On Sunday, 10 flights were diverted and some were cancelled as the airport operations were significantly impacted due to low visibility conditions and dense fog.
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