Dense fog disrupts ops at Delhi airport, four flights diverted to Jaipur

According to flightradar24.com, approximately 130 flights were delayed at the airport between 6 am to 12:30 pm

Dense fog on Wednesday morning caused disruptions to flight operations at Delhi airport and led to the delay of 130 flights between 6 am to 12:30 pm, according to flightradar24.com.

At least four flights were diverted from the Delhi airport to the Jaipur airport on Wednesday, airport sources said. The Delhi airport handles around 1,200 flights every day.

Passengers at the airport faced similar disruptions on Monday due to dense fog conditions. As many as 333 flights were delayed and eight were diverted to nearby airports such as Jaipur or Ahmedabad on the same day. To prepare for fog-related disruption, GMR group-led Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) said it has set up temporary help desks at the T3 forecourt and deployed additional manpower from terminal operations teams. 

 

The terminal operations staff has been provided with high-visibility jackets, public address systems and radio transmission sets for better coordination and communication. The staff deployed at critical positions will facilitate passenger movement and provide updated information.

Apart from these, arrangements for meals for passengers, in the form of meal boxes or food coupons at the food outlets, have been made. DIAL said it has facilitated the development and operations of a well-coordinated process between food outlets and airlines.

"Three concessionaires have been tasked with the responsibility of providing meals to passengers at the boarding gates or at the outlet. Airlines and food outlets coordinate for 100 per cent availability of food for passengers. (The airline would have to give one-hour advance notice to the F&B team for exact requirements)," it mentioned.

Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia had earlier this month told Rajya Sabha that in order to prepare for the onset of the fog period, the number of inspections and special audits were increased over the last two years to enhance various facilities at airports and in the area of air navigation services, Business Standard reported on Monday.

"As a result, despite an increase in flights by about 20 per cent, flight cancellations, which were 0.09 per cent during 2021-2022 of total flight movements, reduced to 0.05 per cent of total flight movements in 2022-2023," he stated.

Scindia had told Rajya Sabha that before the onset of the fog season, the airlines had been instructed to bring changes in their flight schedules in such a way that CAT-II and CAT-III non-compliant aircraft would not be operating during this period.

CAT-II and CAT-III refer to different categories of Instrument Landing System (ILS) approaches, which are used to guide aircraft during their descent and landing in low-visibility conditions. A CAT-II-compliant aircraft can land on the runway with visibility as low as 300 metres.