The Hindu Business Line : Fog may disrupt airline operations at Delhi in Dec-Feb

The Met Department has informed the Ministry of Civil Aviation that between December and February the fog at Delhi would be so thick that no flights would be able to land or take off for about 150 hours during the three-month period.

“The Met office has said that Cat III B conditions, when visibility drops below 50 meters and no flight operations are possible would prevail for about 150 hours between December 8 this year and February 15 next year.

“There, however, could be some respite from fog during January,” the Joint Secretary, Mr K.N. Srivastava, said.

Meanwhile, the airport operator, airlines and Government have come together to put in place a system so that the inconvenience to passengers is minimised.

Trained pilots

“We have asked the airlines to ensure that only pilots who are trained and capable of flying in foggy conditions are asked to operate flights during this period.

“If any airline defaults on the schedules then they run the risk having their operations cancelled not only for this year but also the next,” Mr Srivastava added.

Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), the operator of Delhi of airport, has also taken steps such as making available 47 bays instead of the present 25 bays for CAT III compliant aircraft apart from making more space available for those waiting to receive passengers.

DIAL measures

“LCD monitors which would inform the passengers about the estimated time of arrival as also when the aircraft is hovering over Delhi would come up.

“Besides, the Met department is to provide on line the runway visibility range to DIAL which would help provide information faster to passengers on when an aircraft is expected,” Government officials said.

The Government has also asked the airlines to provide food, beverages and refreshments to passengers in case the flight is delayed.

“In case the airline fails to make these arrangements, DIAL has been asked to make them available and charge the airline,” Mr Srivastava said.

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