Cancel Flights Delayed Beyond 3 Hours, Govt Tells Airlines

NEW DELHI:
The Ministry of Civil Aviation has directed airlines to immediately inform passengers of any delay in flights and to cancel flights delayed beyond three hours in order to avoid inconvenience to passengers as the winter intensifies and dense fog is expected to disrupt flying schedules.

The guidelines were issued after a review meeting on fog preparedness chaired by Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu on Wednesday.

The Minister emphasised a passenger-first approach aligned with the ‘Ease of Flying’ vision, prioritising convenience and safety.

Airlines have also been told to use CAT II/III compliant aircraft and trained pilots for operations at airports such as Delhi which are prone to low visibility during winter, especially in December.

Airlines have also been directed to maintain fully staffed check-in counters to reduce inconvenience and record accurate contact details of passengers while booking tickets to facilitate communication.

Delhi airport operator DIAL has been directed to install LED screens to provide real-time updates on visibility conditions and increase the number of ‘Follow Me’ vehicles to guide planes during low-visibility situations.

The unexpected spike in smog has already thrown flight schedules out of gear during this week as over 100 flights were delayed, and 15 were diverted due to the low visibility in the national capital.

The Civil Aviation Ministry has underlined the need for stepped-up real-time coordination between airlines, air traffic controllers, and ground handlers to reduce disruptions to a minimum.

The high-level meeting, chaired by the Civil Aviation Minister, included senior officials from the Ministry, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), the Indian Meteorological Department, the Delhi airport operator, and representatives of commercial airlines such as IndiGo, Air India, SpiceJet, and Akasa.

Delhi airport officials said several measures to handle the low-visibility challenges effectively are being implemented. Three out of four runways at Delhi airport are equipped with CAT III Instrument Landing Systems (ILS), enabling operations in dense fog when the visibility is low.