Fog delays 33 flights at KIA in Bengaluru

The vicinity around the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) was shrouded in a thick layer of fog on Wednesday morning, leading to flight delays

The vicinity around the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) was shrouded in a thick layer of fog on Wednesday morning, leading to flight delays. Airport officials said that as many as 33 departures were delayed owing to the fog.

There were no delays reported with arrival flights, but Indigo flight 6E 2067 from Delhi was diverted to Hyderabad because of the fog.

Some passengers said their flights were delayed for nearly an hour. Airlines had issued an advisory to passengers that poor visibility could lead to delays.

Fog is anticipated at the KIA every winter from November 15 to February 15. The fog in the airport’s vicinity is known as ‘radiation fog’ and is anticipated during the four months between 3 a.m. and 8.30 a.m.

One runway (South Runway) at the KIA is CAT IIIB compliant which means that it can facilitate aircraft landing with a runway visual range as low as 50 metres and take-offs at 125 metres.

However, not all pilots are CAT IIIB trained, especially those operating in the domestic sector.

On the other runway, the permissible visual range is 550 m and 300 m for landing and take-off, respectively.