The Hindu Business Line : Clear rules for flying through fog

Armed with the information from the Met office, airport authorities have drawn up an action plan that will hopefully lessen passenger inconvenience during the fog season over the next three months.

There are plans to impart special training to pilots to equip them to land aircraft in various levels of low fog visibility.

Ashwini Phadnis

That fog will disrupt your air travel plans this winter in north India is a given. Details about how bad the situation could get were provided earlier this month by the Meteorological Department when it informed the Ministry of Civil Aviation that there would be disruptions to normal flight operations between December 8 and February 15.

According to the Met Department, for 150 hours during this three-month period, visibility could drop to below 50 meters, when no flight operations would be possible.

Armed with the information provided by the Met Department, the authorities have drawn up an action plan that will hopefully lessen passenger inconvenience.

For starters, during the fog season, airlines would be allowed to start their aircraft engines only after the Air Traffic Controller (ATC) has been informed that all doors of the aircraft have been closed and has also been told whether the crew is Cat III A/B or Cat II qualified.

Trained staff

Cat II and Cat III are various levels of low fog visibility in which a pilot is trained to land aircraft.

For instance, Cat III B conditions are said to prevail when visibility drops to below 50 meters and no flights can be operated. Airlines are also being asked to ensure that only pilots who are trained and capable of flying in foggy conditions are allowed to operate flights during this period.

In case false information is provided by the airline about the doors of the aircraft being closed, then the start-up sequence shall be cancelled, which would inevitably lead to some delay in the flight.

Besides, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has also threatened to take action against those airlines that do not adhere to their schedules by taking away their slots, not only for this year but also the next (a slot is a landing and take-off sequence and is important for an airline to maintain its network and schedule).

The Air Traffic Controller in Delhi has also been asked to inform airlines operating flights from metro airports such as Mumbai, Kolkata and Hyderabad on an hourly basis about the estimated time of the aircraft reaching Delhi, so that there can be better planning. Besides, the ATC has been asked to accord landing priority at Delhi airport to those flights that have been diverted to other airports close to the national capital as a result of low visibility.

Control cells

The Directorate General Civil Aviation (DGCA) has also asked all airlines to nominate senior level officials as nodal officers and post them at the airport during the fog period to take on-the-spot decisions for passenger facilitation and for co-ordinating with the various control cells that have been established by the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), the newly-formed joint venture company running the airport.

On its part, DIAL will make available 47 bays instead of the present 25 bays for CAT III-compliant aircraft

Airlines have also been asked to not only augment their ground staff and position them at the airport but also have them fully briefed on how to handle any passenger queries. Airlines have also been advised to inform passengers in advance through SMS or other means of communication of any delay or rescheduling of flights to avoid congestion at the airport.

Besides, airlines have been asked to periodically update flight information display systems at the airport to inform passengers about any delay or cancellation of flights.

Airlines have not only been asked to provide hourly updated information of their flights to DIAL but also to make frequent announcements about the status of the flights on the public address system in the check-in and security hold areas.

Further, to avoid congestion at the airport, it has been suggested that passengers be allowed to go in for security check by the airlines only after ensuring that the flight is ready to depart.

The DGCA has asked airlines to ensure that if there is a delay in departure after the passengers have boarded the aircraft, beverages such as tea or coffee, water and snacks are provided on board by the airline.

The Ministry has said that in case an airline fails to provide snacks to the passengers, DIAL should do so and charge the airline for it.

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