Aviation minister holds review meeting; asks airlines to inform passengers on flight delays

Civil Aviation Minister reviews fog preparedness, instructs airlines to inform passengers about delays and ensure fully staffed check-in counters.

Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu on Wednesday (November 20, 2024) held a review meeting with various stakeholders on fog preparedness and asked airlines to proactively inform passengers about flight delays as well as ensure check-in counters are fully staffed to help minimise travel disruptions.

"The preparations for managing visibility-related challenges this winter are moving in the right direction with good progress made in resolving the bottlenecks," the civil aviation ministry said in a release.

Civil Aviation Secretary Vumlunmang Vualnam, senior officials from the ministry, DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation), BCAS (Bureau of Civil Aviation Security), Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), Delhi airport operator DIAL and airline representatives, among others, participated in the meeting.

On Monday (November 18, 2024), bad weather conditions in the national capital resulted in at least 15 flight diversions and a delay of more than 100 flights as visibility conditions were very poor.

Generally, the fog season starts in early December.

According to the release, airlines have confirmed that they will adhere to the DGCA guidelines with respect to deploying CAT II/III compliant aircraft and pilots for Delhi and other airports that could be impacted by fog.

Out of the four runways at the Delhi airport, which is also the country's busiest airport, three have CAT III ILS (Instrument Landing System) that will permit flight operations at low visibility levels.