Low visibility disrupts flight ops at Lucknow Airport

Several flights were diverted due to inclement weather conditions and limitations related to crew training for landing in low visibility.

Flight XY897, from Lucknow to Dammam operated by Flynas was cancelled due to low visibility at Lucknow Airport (LKO), Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport (CCSIA) and restrictions of the crew’s flight duty time. The airline stated these operational constraints as the reasons for the disruption.

The diversions occurred because pilots were not trained for Category III (CAT III) instrument landing procedures, which are required for safely landing in such low-visibility conditions. (FOR REPRESENTATION)

Meanwhile, several other flights were diverted due to inclement weather conditions and limitations related to crew training for landing in low visibility.

Air India Express flights IX2813 and IX2815, traveling from Hyderabad (HYD) to Lucknow (LKO) were diverted to Varanasi (VNS). Indigo’s flight 6E6353, traveling from Bangalore (BLR) to Lucknow (LKO) was rerouted to Jaipur (JAI), while flight 6E7319 from Jaipur (JAI) to Lucknow (LKO) was diverted to Nagpur (NAG). Another Indigo flight, 6E7127, traveling from Indore (IDR) to Lucknow, was diverted to Jaipur as well.

The diversions occurred because pilots were not trained for Category III (CAT III) instrument landing procedures, which are required for safely landing in such low-visibility conditions.

Meanwhile, with the onset of the winter season, Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport (CCSIA), is gearing up to handle the low visibility conditions. The Airside and Aviation Safety team of CCSI Airport trained over 600 officials working on the airside, including airline staff, ground handling teams, Aircraft Rescue & Fire Fighting (ARFF), catering, and refuelling to support aircraft movement in low visibility conditions.

In anticipation of additional passengers at the terminal during fog delays, the terminal operations team has created supplementary seating space for passengers.

During winters, flights travelling to Delhi, Dehradun, Varanasi, Kanpur, Bareilly, Gorakhpur as well as Kathmandu are diverted to Lucknow during fog conditions, due to the availability of CAT III technology installed at CCSI Airport.

The cutting-edge technology helps pilots land at Lucknow Airport even in low visibility conditions. The equipment enables the airport to manage Code C and Code E aircraft even when Runway Visibility Range (RVR) is as low as 50 metres for landing and 125 metres for take-off.

The on-field and classroom training included the dos and don’ts in case of low visibility on the airside and ways to handle aircraft movement safely.