Aviation minister Scindia lists out steps to tackle delays as fog hits flight ops

The aviation minister added that all stakeholders are working round the clock to minimise fog-related impact on flight operations.

Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Monday assured that the government and all stakeholders are working round the clock to mitigate the problems faced by flights due to fog.

Sharing updates on the same on his social media handle on X, the aviation minister said, "The DGCA will issue an SOP for airlines on better communication and facilitation of passengers to minimise discomfort in view of flight cancellations & delays due to adverse weather."

The unprecedented fog situation in the national capital had forced the authorities to shut down operations for some time even on CAT III runways in the capital, the minister said.

A CAT III landing is a precision approach that allows aircraft to land safely in low-visibility conditions.

"The decision was taken keeping passenger safety in mind, which remains the foremost priority for all in the aviation ecosystem," he added.

Apart from the SOP by the aviation body, Scindia added that Delhi's IGI airport has now been asked to immediately expedite the operationalisation of the CAT III-enabled 4th runway in addition to the existing CAT III-enabled runway.

Flight operations at the Delhi airport on Sunday were significantly impacted by dense fog on Sunday resulting in diversion, cancellation, and delay of many flights.

Fifty-three outbound flights were delayed and seven were cancelled at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) on Sunday as well. Scores of inbound flights were also affected owing to bad weather.