Fog wreaks havoc with holiday season traffic

Airline traffic faced widespread disruption across the country as fog affected flight schedules at the Delhi airport. Consequential delays led to harassment for passengers flying out from other cities too as peak holiday season traffic thronged most metro airports. Despite warnings from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and preparations by airlines, the Delhi airport –– the second busiest in the country –– had no answer for fog. Thousands of people were stranded at the airport for several hours on as thick fog delayed dozens of departures. Poor visibility causes delays of up to four hours and the cancellation of some domestic flights, the sources said. Air services at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) were suspended on Saturday morning as runway visibility range (RVR) dipped to below 50 metres at 7 am forcing suspension of flights, airport sources said. This is the first winter season after the GMR-led Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) took up management of the airport.

“All domestic departures remained suspended in the early morning hours,” an airport spokesman said. At least two Delhi-bound international flights, that could not land at the IGIA, were diverted to Mumbai and Karachi. Delays at various international airports, including London, also added to the chaos. Holidaymakers rushing to tourist destinations like Goa and Kerala thronged airports across the country and airlines had a tough time managing their schedules. People visiting their hometown for Christmas holidays also added to the load. NRI's returning to India for New Year holidays also formed a significant portion of these stranded at various airports due to delays. Many of them missed connecting flights due to delays caused by poor visibility, industry sources said. All major airlines including Jet Airways, Indian, Air-India, Kingfisher, Air Deccan, IndiGo, GoAir and SpiceJet faced the brunt as flights were cancelled or delayed due to poor visibility at Delhi. The RVR had improved to 300 metres at 10:30 am and six Indian Airlines flights took off using the CAT III B Instrument Landing System (ILS).

Six international flights — three arrivals and three departures — also operated from the IGIA. Apart from the general public, President APJ Abdul Kalam’s departure to Mumbai was also delayed because of the fog, which reduced runway visibility to 50 meters (165 feet). A thick fog blankets the New Delhi in late December and early January every year. While the domestic airlines have been trying to accommodate each other’s passengers, in case of flight delays or cancellations, no ready relief seems to be in sight for passengers. The airline companies need CAT III-trained pilots to operate in low visibility conditions. Ironically, many airlines had declared a week ago that their were in a position to operate flights during poor visibility using ILS facilities. “At present, only IGI airport in Delhi has ASMGCS, (Advance Surface Movement Guidance and Control System) the technology that helps the pilot at the time of low visibility due to dense fog,” an official of Air Traffic Controllers’ Guild said.

Apart from Delhi, no other airport has technology compatible with CAT III norms. So, the situation at other airports is expected to be even worse, a airline official said. The fog period is expected to last till January 15. Meanwhile, DGCA has said those airlines having CAT III landing system would be given priority in start up and sequencing of their aircraft. It has cancelled flights of airliners not having the capability to operate in dense fog conditions. DGCA has asked airlines to inform passengers about delays caused due to bad weather conditions. The guidelines also direct the airline companies to keep monitoring the fog situation and be in touch with the meteorological department for updates.

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