Delhi airport issued a passenger advisory on Friday as dense fog enveloped the national capital during early morning hours. The haze reduced visibility significantly and impacted flight operations. In view of the prevailing atmospheric conditions and extremely low visibility, the authorities warned of delays under CAT III conditions.
The advisory stated, “Dense fog has led to CAT IIl operations at the airport, resulting in possible delays and disruptions.”
Urging passengers to check with their airlines for the latest flight status, the advisory added, “Our on-ground teams are working in close coordination with all stakeholders to assist passengers and provide necessary support across all terminals. For real-time flight updates, please reach out to your respective airlines. We sincerely regret any inconvenience caused and appreciate your understanding.”
Another advisory issued at 4:00 AM said, “Due to dense fog, flight operations are currently under CAT IlI conditions, resulting in flight disruptions. Please be assured, our on-ground officials are working closely with all stakeholders to assist passengers and provide necessary support across Terminals. For the latest flight status, please contact your respective airlines. We sincerely regret any inconvenience caused."
Over the past few days dense fog and smog have been disrupting flight operations at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport prompting airlines to adjust schedules amid delays.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation issued a heavy fog alert for northern India, advising passengers to check flight status before travelling and to allow additional travel time to avoid inconvenience.
MoCA in a post on X stated, “The ongoing fog conditions in Northern India are impacting airport operations. Passengers are advised to stay in touch with their airlines for real-time flight updates, regularly check official airline and airport websites or apps, and plan their journeys with additional travel time to avoid inconvenience. Passenger facilitation teams are deployed across airports to provide necessary assistance.”
Several airlines issued travel advisory amid dense fog over Delhi, including IndiGo, Air India, Air India Express and SpiceJet.
What are CAT III operations?
CAT III (Category III) operations are advanced Instrument Landing System (ILS) procedures for landing aircraft in case of extremely low visibility due to fog or smog. CAT III procedure allows pilots to land even when the runway visual range is extremely limited. Despite enforcement of these atypical conditions, every aircraft or pilot is not authorised to use the system which causes significant delays until visibility improves.
Notably, there are a total of six airports in India where runway is certified for CAT III operations, including Delhi, Lucknow, Jaipur, Amritsar, Bengaluru and Kolkata.
