Fog of confusion

The aviation ecosystem needs to cooperate better

Fog is a standard occurrence in north India during winter. Each year, flights are cancelled on account of poor visibility, that too during a peak travel period. This year, fog has been particularly disruptive. With over 60 flights diverted from Delhi airport, the country’s largest and busiest, over the Christmas and New Year break, the airport authorities and airlines have been trading charges. Airport officials have accused airlines of not keeping on the roster enough pilots trained on CAT III instrument landing systems or equipping enough aircraft with such equipment designed to land in dense fog. The airlines, in turn,