New Delhi: Delhi airport confronted extreme disruption of flight operations on Monday as a consequence of dense fog that decreased visibility to zero for a number of hours. Aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia mentioned that the authorities needed to shut down operations quickly on CAT III runways, that are designed to deal with low-visibility circumstances, as a security measure. He additionally shared the steps being taken to mitigate the scenario within the close to future.
Scindia takes to X to tell passengers
Scindia took to X (previously Twitter) to tell the passengers concerning the fog scenario and the steps being taken by the aviation ministry and different stakeholders. He mentioned, “Yesterday, Delhi witnessed unprecedented fog wherein visibility fluctuated for several hours, and at times, dropped to zero between 5 AM to 9 AM.”
Yesterday, Delhi witnessed unprecedented fog whereby visibility fluctuated for a number of hours, and at occasions, dropped to zero between 5 AM to 9 AM.
The authorities, subsequently, had been compelled to implement a shut-down of operations for a while even on CAT III runways (CAT III…
— Jyotiraditya M. Scindia (@JM_Scindia) January 15, 2024
“The authorities, therefore, were compelled to enforce a shut-down of operations for some time even on CAT III runways (CAT III runways cannot handle Zero-Visibility operations). The decision was taken keeping passenger safety in mind, which remains the foremost priority for all in the aviation ecosystem. “
Steps to enhance operations
Scindia additionally introduced the next steps to enhance the operations at Delhi airport in case of fog. He mentioned “Delhi Airport has been asked to immediately expedite the operationalization of the CAT III-enabled 4th runway (in addition to the existing CAT III-enabled runway) to the satisfaction of the DGCA India, in order to get approvals.”
The DGCA will situation an SOP for airways on higher communication and facilitation of passengers to minimise discomfort in view of flight cancellations & delays as a consequence of hostile climate.
Scindia urges calm, warns towards unruly behaviour
Scindia additionally appealed to the travellers to bear with the scenario and guaranteed them that each one stakeholders are working around the clock to minimise the fog-related impression. He mentioned, “It is my earnest request to all travellers to bear with us during this difficult period. All stakeholders are trying their best to minimize passenger inconvenience.”
He additionally warned towards any incidences of unruly behaviour by the passengers and mentioned that they are going to be handled strongly according to the present authorized provisions. He mentioned, “Incidences of unruly behaviour amidst this are unacceptable, and will be dealt with strongly in line with the existing legal provisions.”
MOA refutes declare of just one operational runway
Meanwhile, the Ministry Of Aviation (MOA) refuted the declare made by an X consumer who mentioned that solely one of many 4 runways at Delhi airport was operational and that it didn’t have CAT III facility. The consumer, Kapil Chopra, had tweeted, “Delhi airport has 4 runways, guess how many are operational ? One. Yes. And guess what, the operational runway does not have CAT 3, so cannot operate in fog. No flights took off for 5 hours. Why?”
This isn’t appropriate. All three Operational Runways at Delhi Airport together with a CAT III runway had been dealing with flight operations as per their capabilities yesterday, nonetheless, with decreased capability as a consequence of intense fog. https://t.co/5h5vRVVFHV
— MoCA_GoI (@MoCA_GoI) January 15, 2024
The MOA responded by saying, “This is not correct. All three Operational Runways at Delhi Airport including a CAT III runway were handling flight operations as per their capabilities yesterday, however, with reduced capacity due to intense fog.”
The MOA additionally shared the information of the flight actions on the three runways from 5 AM to 9 AM. It mentioned, “Data from 5 AM to 9 AM shows that the CAT III Runway RWY 11R/29L handled 30 landings and 1 take off during the 4 hour period whereas the non- CAT III Runway RWY 9/27 couldn’t handle any flight movement and RWY 11L/29R handled 2 Take-offs during the period.”
