Untrained pilots in fog: DGCA issues notices to Air India, SpiceJet

Hundreds of flights were delayed during the fog season in December

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued show cause notices to Air India and SpiceJet for failing to deploy trained pilots for landings at Delhi airport during the dense fog season in December. The operations at Delhi airport were badly hit between December 24 and December 28 as there was low visibility due to dense fog. Hundreds of flights were delayed during this period, and 58 had to be diverted to nearby airports.

"Of these flights, around 50 flights were diverted because pilots were not trained to operate/land in conditions of dense fog," an airport source said. Immediately after this disruption, the DGCA initiated its investigation and asked airlines, as well as Delhi airport to provide all requisite details, according to the regulator's officials.

The DGCA's investigation revealed that both Air India and SpiceJet failed to roster an adequate number of pilots trained in the CAT-IIIB instrument landing system for landings at Delhi airport during this fog season. Consequently, several of their flights had to be diverted. The CAT-IIIB system - which is available at Delhi airport - is used by pilots to land planes when the runway visual range is 50 meters and above.

Aviation industry sources said that this is probably the first time that the airlines have been issued show cause notices over this matter. Air India and SpiceJet did not respond to queries sent by Business Standard on this matter.

"Prior to the winter season, the DGCA convened a meeting with the airlines, urging them to be prepared for disruptions related to fog. They were supposed to deploy pilots trained to use the CAT-IIIB system to land planes. However, the recent investigation uncovered that Air India and SpiceJet failed to do so," stated an official.

Air India is currently operating a total of approximately 2,979 flights per week, and about 50 per cent of them are take-off or arrive at Delhi airport. Similarly, about 37 per cent of SpiceJet's total flights are handled by Delhi airport. Delhi airport has two CAT IIIB-compliant runways, and one of them is currently under maintenance.

"One can expect for the runway to open up in the first week of January. That way, Delhi will again have two CAT IIIB runways instead of just one improving the condition at the airport," the airport source quoted above said.