Chaos rules Delhi Airport amid fog delays

Passengers were stranded for hours and chaos ruled the international and domestic airports at Delhi Airport as another foggy day led to three flights being cancelled and scores rescheduled. A thick blanket of fog covered the sky early in the morning, forcing airport authorities to shut down the runway from 6.05 a.m. to 7.20 a.m. Three flights, including a Spicejet to Srinagar and an Air Deccan to Bangalore, were cancelled. In the absence of any information on flight status, passengers waited for hours at the airport. Compounding the situation was Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's departure for Japan, which delayed the landing of some flights. As usual, the airspace was declared off bounds 30 minutes before his departure. The Airport Authority of India (AAI) said the situation improved after 8 a.m. "A control room has been set up to monitor the fog situation. Directions have been issued to airlines to inform passengers well in advance so that they do not suffer," said an AAI official.

The Director General of Civil Aviation has stepped in to ease the jam by directing airlines to reschedule early morning and late night flights. The Civil Aviation Ministry said airlines, including low cost carriers, have been directed to provide food and water to stranded passengers. "All our flights scheduled to depart before 8.30 a.m. and after 11 p.m. have been rescheduled for a month," said Ajay Jasra, information officer of Spicejet. He said snacks had been provided to all passengers who had to wait for one-and-a-half hours. "We also give dinner or lunch to all, depending on the time of departure, if the flight gets delayed for over four hours," Jasra added. Several trains originating from New Delhi or reaching the capital were delayed. The Chhattisgarh Express from Amritsar to Vilaspur via New Delhi was late by five hours, while the Howrah-New Delhi Poorva Express, Awadh Assam Express, Mahananda Express and Faizabad-Delhi Faizabad Express had been delayed by about two hours.

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