Bad weather: 53 flights delayed, 7 cancelled at Bengaluru airport

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

Twenty-six of the 53 flight delays were caused by
bad weather in the city, a spokesperson for the airport said. 

The cancelled flights include five of IndiGo (Goa, Varanasi, Delhi, Vijayawada and Prayagraj), and one each of Akasa Air (Varanasi) and Air India (Mumbai), the official said. 

Flight diverted

Many inbound flights arrived late, especially those from Delhi, Lucknow, Varanasi, Prayagraj and Chennai. This apart, at least one cargo flight was diverted to Hyderabad, the official added. 

Inclement weather and poor visibility during early morning hours in the winter months often cause flight delays, cancellations and diversions at the airport.

Currently, only the south runway is compliant with CAT IIIB, which allows flights to land at a runway visual range of 50 metres and take off at 125 metres. 

CAT IIIB-compliant

The KIA is the only airport in South India and the
sixth across the country to have a CAT IIIB-compliant runway. 

The old (north) runway allows landings at 550 metres and take-offs at 300 metres or above.

Many flights prefer the old runway because it’s closer to the terminal and results in fuel savings.