Fog-related flight delays: ‘War Rooms’ will be set at six metro airports in India
Over 600 flights delayed in Delhi due to severe weather conditions in 72 hours
New Delhi: In addition to the standard operating procedures to deal with the fog-induced flight disruptions, the Civil Aviation Ministry has now sought incidence reporting — thrice daily — from all the six metro airports.
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for mitigating passenger inconvenience were issued by the ministry on Monday to all the airlines.
Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia in a post on X on Tuesday said ‘War Rooms’ will be set up by airports and airline operators at the six metro airports to address any issues with regard to passenger inconvenience with immediacy.
Also, sufficient Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) manpower availability will also be ensured round-the-clock.
The minister further said that runway RWY 29L at Delhi Airport has been made CAT III operational. A CAT III landing is a precision approach that allows aircraft to land safely in low-visibility conditions.
“Operationalization of RWY 10/28 as CAT III at Delhi Airport after re-carpeting will also be undertaken,” the X post added.
Delhi has been witnessing unprecedented fog wherein visibility fluctuated for several hours, and at times, dropped to zero.
In the past 72 hours, over 600 flights, both domestic and international were delayed due to the severe weather conditions.
“It is my earnest request to all travellers to bear with us during this difficult period. All stakeholders are trying their best to minimize passenger inconvenience. Incidences of unruly behaviour amidst this are unacceptable, and will be dealt with strongly in line with the existing legal provisions,” Scindia had said in a post on ‘X’ on Monday.
“I would like to assure everyone that all stakeholders are working round the clock to minimise the fog-related impact,” the minister had further written.