Naidu instructs DGCA, AAI on winter readiness amid peak travel rush

The meeting was attended by officials from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Airports Authority of India, Central Industrial Security Force, airport operators, and airlines

Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu on Friday said that he consulted different stakeholders from the aviation industry to assess preparedness for the winter season. In an X post, Naidu said, "Chaired a comprehensive review meeting today to assess preparedness for the upcoming fog window of the winter schedule with all key stakeholders."  

 

The meeting was attended by officials from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Airports Authority of India (AAI), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), airport operators, and airlines.

 

Naidu said, "All stakeholders have been instructed to ensure full compliance, fix accountability and implement strict SOPs for fog operations. To maintain smooth operations, emphasis has to be laid on real-time data exchange, activation of war rooms and deployment of CAT-II/III compliant aircraft with qualified crew."

   

CAT-II and CAT-III compliant aircraft are planes equipped with advanced landing and navigation systems that allow them to operate safely during very low-visibility conditions, such as heavy fog. CAT-II aircraft can land when visibility is limited, while CAT-III aircraft, which include the most advanced autoland features, can land even when visibility is extremely poor.

Peak holiday travel season

December is the peak holiday travel season, and many people are already planning winter trips. As Business Standard reported earlier, travel platform Ixigo has seen a sharp rise in flight searches. Srinagar searches have more than doubled in December, while Dehradun is up 54 per cent and Jammu up 39 per cent month-on-month.

 

But winter also brings heavy fog, especially in northern India, which often leads to long delays and flight cancellations. The aviation ministry has said that it is taking steps to reduce these disruptions and ensure smoother travel during the season.  ALSO READ | DGCA suspends 4 flight inspectors after IndiGo flight disruptions 

Stressing on safety measures, Naidu said, "Clear directions have been issued to ensure safe, seamless and well-coordinated operations, along with timely communication of updates to passengers to help them prepare well in advance. Each and every passenger is important, and any instance of inconvenience will be addressed with clear accountability."

IndiGo crisis

Naidu's comment also follows widespread disruption in India's largest airline, IndiGo's operations. The airline, which controls over 60 per cent of domestic traffic, cancelled over a thousand flights in the last 10 days, leaving scores of passengers stranded across the country. The airline cancelled over 50 flights from Bengaluru Airport on Friday.

 

The operational chaos kicked in earlier this month due to the flight duty time limitation (FDTL) rules, which came into effect on November 1. The rules expand rest hours, limit night duties, and mandate 48 hours of weekly rest.

 

Earlier this week, Naidu promised strict action against the airline. Speaking at the upper house of Parliament, he said that no airline, no matter how big, will be allowed to cause hardship to passengers.