Dense fog hits flight operations at IGI, 100 flights impacted but none cancelled

The season’s worst fog spell disrupted flight operations at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International airport early on Friday morning, affecting close to 100 departing

The season’s worst fog spell disrupted flight operations at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International airport early on Friday morning, affecting close to 100 departing flights and leaving hundreds of passengers stranded.

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However, no incoming flights had to be diverted and no cancellations were reported.

Officials said arrangements have been put in place inside the terminal buildings to minimize inconvenience to passengers and they are better prepared to fight the fog menace this season with 100-metre visibility metre— a newly installed equipment that will help them read the vertical profile of the fog, helping in much more accurate prediction.

According to the officials from the airport, CAT III low visibility procedures were implemented around 4am on Friday as the runway visual range dropped to as low as 125 meters. The low visibility affected flights scheduled to depart from the airport between 4am and 7am. The delays caused a ripple effect, impacting close to 100 fights, including those scheduled later in the day. However, officials said, none of the incoming flights needed to be diverted to any other airport because of poor visibility in Delhi.

“No flights were cancelled due to fog on Friday. The delay that was caused because of poor visibility, normalized by the afternoon as the visibility improved. The fact that the airport is yet to operate at its full capacity owing to the Covid pandemic helped in passenger management,” said an official from the Delhi airport.

Fewer flights a relief

Officials say that fog is expected to be less of a bother for Delhi flyers this year as the airport has only been operating at about 60%-65% of its capacity after the Covid-19 lockdown. An officer from Delhi ATC said the airport used to handle 1,400 flights (departures and arrivals) every day, on average, before the lockdown came into force in March.

“At present, we handle about 850-860 flights daily. International flights are also not operating at full capacity. With fewer number of flights, there will be less contest for slots and parking at the airport during a dense fog, so it will also be easier for the ATC to slot them. The end result is less hassle for passengers this year,” the official said.

However, he added, that it remains to be seen how many airlines have sufficient number of aircraft and pilots certified for low visibility operations this season.

Tech to fight the fog menace

Starting this winter, the meteorological department at the Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) has started using a radiometer to read the vertical density of the fog. The whole exercise, senior officials say, will lead to better planning, causing fewer last-minute flight cancellations and delays. The results, they said, will be seen probably by the end of January.

The radiometer, installed atop the new air traffic control (ATC) tower, is also known as the “100-metre visibility metre”. A senior official from the Delhi airport, who is aware of the development, said this instrument needs to be installed at least 100-metre above ground level for accurate readings.

“As our Delhi ATC tower is 101.9 metres tall, the instrument has been installed atop the tower. Its readings are used to study the vertical profile of the fog, according to which low visibility procedures are implemented. It will also help us decide more efficiently whether to implement Cat III or CAT IIIB operations (in low visibility) during the dense fog,” the official said.

The instrument was installed before winter and will contribute to the fog analysis starting this year. “This will directly help authorities in determining on what level, low visibility measures need to be implemented and for what duration. Airlines and airport operators can use such information effectively to ensure minimum inconvenience to flyers,” said a second official.

Arrangements for social distancing

The Delhi airport operator, DIAL (Delhi International Airport Ltd) has also made arrangements to minimize inconvenience to the stranded passengers and ensure social distancing inside the terminal buildings.

“We are currently handling 83,000 passengers a day. In view of the pandemic, Terminal 3 is at present is handling 18 flights every hour while Terminal 2 is handling nine flights an hour. This is in conjunction with other safety measures in place to provide a safe environment to flyers. DIAL is abiding by all social distancing protocols and progressively enhancing terminal capacity,” a DIAL spokesperson said.

At present, only two of the three terminals of Delhi airport are functional. In order to accommodate more passengers when fog hits, the airport operator is planning to reopen Terminal 1 that is closed for ongoing expansion work.

DIAL said while T2 and T3 have already been recommissioned, plans to recommission T1, to meet the growing passenger footfall, is in progress.

The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) that secures the Delhi airport has also started to mobilise its force for when Terminal 1 resumes functioning. Sachin Badshah, deputy inspector general (IGI airport), CISF, said they are ready to make the T1 force operational as and when told to. “Our security arrangements are in place for when the terminal resumes operations,” he said.