Delhi weather: 30 flights delayed, 17 cancelled due to bad weather conditions

Digital Desk: According to airport authorities, severe weather has caused up to 30 planes from Delhi Airport to be delayed, as reported by ANI on January 16. The report also stated that 17 other planes had been canceled for the same reason.

Ten flights were diverted on Sunday, January 14, which resulted in cancellations and delays and prolonged wait times for travelers at the airport and inside the aircraft. Numerous travelers shared their worries on social media.

Additionally, poor weather on Monday, January 15, caused five flights to be diverted at the Delhi airport.

According to an ANI report, on January 15, Jyotiraditya Scindia, the minister of civil aviation, presided over an important meeting on readiness with various government agencies, including the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), BCAS, and the Airport Authority of India (AAI).

All authorities were directed by Scindia to improve readiness for unforeseen events. To help airlines deal with such circumstances, he advocated for the release of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). DGCA SOPs instructing all scheduled airlines to adhere to regulations regarding flight delays and cancellations were released in line with this.

 

- Publish real-time flight delay information on their websites.

- Provide advance information to affected passengers via SMS, WhatsApp, and email.

- Display updated information on flight delays at airports for waiting passengers.

The SOP emphasises the need for appropriate sensitization of airline staff at airports to effectively communicate and continuously inform passengers about flight delays.

Airlines are urged to postpone flights well in advance if they are expected to be delayed more than three hours due to the current fog season and unfavorable weather, according to the article. This attempts to reduce discomfort to passengers and avoid airport congestion.

The SOP ends by requiring all airlines to follow these rules as soon as possible. 

The Delhi airport has seen severe interruptions to airline operations due to low visibility conditions. According to Scindia, all parties involved are "working round-the-clock" to reduce the disruption fog causes to passengers and operations. He made a point of saying that disruptive passenger behavior is not tolerated.

The airport operator DIAL has been instructed to speed up the operationalization of the fourth runway, which is equipped with CAT III, in order to address the issues presented by limited visibility. Even in bad visibility, flight operations can proceed thanks to CAT III compliance.

At present, Delhi Airport has four runways; three of them are in use, including the CAT III-compliant RW 11L/29R. Maintenance is now being performed on the CAT III-compliant RW 10/28. To get DGCA permission, a request has been made for the urgent operationalization of the fourth runway that is enabled by CAT III.

According to data collected between 5 and 9 a.m., the non-CAT III Runway RWY 9/27 saw no flight movement during the four hours, whereas the CAT-III Runway RWY 11R/29L completed 30 landings and 1 takeoff. According to the civil aviation ministry's post on X on Monday, RWY 11L/29R handled two takeoffs within the same period.

The DGCA issued show-cause notes to SpiceJet and Air India for failing to deploy pilots qualified for low visibility situations following diversions amid heavy fog in late December. To ensure that flights can be safely operated in inclement weather, the aviation regulator is aggressively addressing the matter.