As many as 30 flights from Delhi Airport have been delayed due to bad weather, airport sources told ANI on January 16. Another 17 flights have also been cancelled due to the same reason, the report added.
On Sunday (January 14), 10 flights were diverted, leading to cancellations and delays, resulting in extended waiting hours for passengers both at the airport and inside aircraft. Many passengers expressed their concerns on social media.
And on Monday (January 15), five flights were diverted at the Delhi airport due to bad weather.
Flight Preparedness
Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on January 15 led a significant meeting with key government officials from his ministry, including the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), BCAS, and the Airport Authority of India (AAI) on preparedness, as per an ANI report.
Scindia instructed all officials to enhance preparedness for unforeseen incidents. He called for the issuance of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to guide airlines in handling such situations. In line with this, the DGCA issued SOPs instructing all scheduled airlines to comply with guidelines concerning flight delays and cancellations.
The SOPs mandate airlines to:
– Publish real-time flight delay information on their websites.
– Provide advance information to affected passengers via SMS, WhatsApp, and email.
– Display updated information on flight delays at airports for waiting passengers.
The SOP emphasises the need for appropriate sensitization of airline staff at airports to effectively communicate and continuously inform passengers about flight delays.
Weather-Related Measures
Given the prevailing fog season and adverse weather conditions, airlines are advised to cancel, well in advance, flights anticipated to be delayed beyond three hours, as per the report. This aims to prevent airport congestion and minimize passenger inconvenience.
The SOP concludes by mandating all airlines to adhere to these guidelines with immediate effect.
Low-visibility conditions have caused significant disruptions to flight operations at the Delhi airport. Scindia assured that stakeholders are “working round-the-clock” to minimise the impact of fog on operations and passenger inconvenience. He strongly emphasized that unruly passenger behaviour is unacceptable.
CAT III-Enabled Fourth Runway Directive
To tackle the challenges posed by low visibility, the airport operator, DIAL, has been directed to expedite the operationalization of the CAT III-enabled fourth runway. CAT III compliance allows flight operations to continue even in low-visibility conditions.
Delhi Airport currently has four runways, with three of them, including the CAT III-compliant RW 11L/29R, operational. The CAT III-compliant RW 10/28 is undergoing maintenance work. The urgent operationalization of the CAT III-enabled fourth runway has been requested to meet DGCA approvals.
Data from 5 am to 9 am indicates that the CAT-III Runway RWY 11R/29L managed 30 landings and 1 takeoff during the four hours, while the non-CAT III Runway RWY 9/27 experienced no flight movement. RWY 11L/29R handled 2 takeoffs during the same period, according to the civil aviation ministry’s post on X on Monday.
Regulatory Action
In response to diversions during dense fog in late December, the DGCA issued show-cause notices to Air India and SpiceJet for not deploying pilots trained for low-visibility conditions. The aviation regulator is actively addressing the issue to ensure the safe operation of flights in adverse weather conditions.
