Foggy days ahead: How airlines are prepping to minimize delays

While airlines such as IndiGo, Air India and SpiceJet have stationed their category-III or CAT III-enabled aircraft which can operate in low visibility along with their crews in northern India, Delhi airport has chalked out plans to improve passenger experience during flight disruptions. 

Passengers on flights that see delays of over three hours will be deboarded, addressing one of the biggest frustrations of passengers stuck in delayed aircraft. In April, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) had asked airlines, airports and security agencies to return passengers to the terminal in case of extreme delays.

Every year, from December to February, thousands of flights are impacted by fog. In January 2024 alone, over 400 flights were delayed, with many being cancelled or diverted due to dense fog.

On 29 November, aviation minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu reviewed the situation and directed officials to ensure real-time coordination between air traffic control, airlines, ground handlers and airport operators to maintain seamless operations.

Airlines were directed to cancel flights if the delay exceeds three hours, and proactively inform passengers about potential delays or cancellations. 

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The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) established the period between 10 December and 10 February as the fog window. During this period, airlines are mandated to deploy pilots and aircraft trained in Category III (CAT-III) instrument landing systems (ILS), especially at airports in North India. These trained pilots can safely land aircraft in low-visibility conditions, which can range from zero visibility to 175 meters.

Only six airports in India have CAT-III ILS; Delhi, Lucknow, Jaipur, Amritsar, Bengaluru, and Kolkata. Delhi Airport,  the largest in the country, has four operational runways, three of which are CAT-III landing compliant.

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Well prepared

India’s largest airline in terms of fleet size and market share, IndiGo, said the airline has taken several measures to mitigate fog-related disruptions.

An IndiGo executive said it has a strategy in place, which includes ensuring there is an adequate number of crew available for low-visibility conditions in fog-prone sectors.

“Most of IndiGo’s aircraft fleet are equipped with CAT-III landing equipment and around 80-90% of IndiGo’s pilots are qualified to do CAT-III landings. The airline also said that the team of meteorologists are also in close coordination with Operations Control Center (OCC) to actively monitor real-time visibility," the executive said on the condition of anonymity.

The airline has also studied historical data and will ensure that aircraft flying to fog prone sectors will keep additional fuel, keeping in mind anticipated delays, the person added. As per DGCA data, IndiGo has 5,174 pilots.

Tata Sons-owned Air India, which operates a large number of international flights out of Delhi–its main hub–has also started taking steps to minimize the impact on its flights due to fog.

“Air India will be adjusting flight schedules to its long-haul and metro-to-metro flights routes in fog prone areas. The airline is also planning to keep passengers informed of any delays and provide them with a complimentary option of rescheduling or refund," an airline executive said on the condition of anonymity.

As per DGCA data, Air India has over 3,400 pilots and has also increased the number of CAT-III trained pilots. The airline will deploy more staff on the ground, especially at airports where it is expecting diversions.

Budget carrier SpiceJet also plans to deploy additional ground staff to manage disruptions due to fog.

“Rostering will be done as per the SOP of the fog plan and flights in the fog window will be covered by CAT-III crew. The airline has also planned more staff on ground to ensure passenger comfort. SpiceJet has made small changes to flight schedules for sectors that are fog prone," an executive said.

As per DGCA data, the airline has over 370 pilots, and it is making efforts to have an adequate number of CAT-III-trained pilots. 

Airline officials said preparations for the fog season, including providing CAT-III training for pilots, are part of their routine training and operational processes and would not result in any additional cost for passengers.

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Expert take

Aviation expert and CEO of Avialaz Consultants Sanjay Lazar believes that passenger communication is the key and airlines need to disseminate information on time.

"The ministry and DGCA have held fog meetings, but we hope that a 24-hour live aviation cell is activated at Delhi Airport and airlines depute at least one person in the cell. This way, a command and control setup can monitor daily delays. Fingers crossed, hope we will get across this winter with no problem," he said.

Delhi Airport, which has still not been able to fully operationalize Terminal 1, has announced plans to create special enclosures for passengers affected by fog delays of over three hours or cancelled due to fog. In June, the canopy of Terminal 1 fell after Delhi received record rains on that particular day.

These special enclosures will be created at all three terminals, which will allow affected passengers to enter the terminal. “These enclosures will be situated at the bus boarding gates and a few aerobridges in Terminal 3, the transfer area in Terminal 2, and the bus boarding gate in Terminal 1," the airport operator said.

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