Last month, passengers onboard GoAir and Kingfisher flights to Lucknow were shocked when their planes were called back even as conditions were conducive for landing at the Lucknow airport.
It has now come to notice that both the airlines feared that their aircraft would get stuck if they landed at Lucknow airport as weather there was changing very frequently.
The directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) has now issued notices to these two airlines asking them to file a written reply with the regulatory body.
Sources said that the incident happened on December 19, the day airports in north , including those in Delhi and Lucknow, witnessed dense fog.
“Airlines are using MET prediction to avoid getting stuck at smaller airports, causing nuisance to passengers. Last week, two flights didn’t land at the Lucknow airport, as there was a prediction of dense fog. During the meeting with the DGCA, the airline’s representative said that they were planning to reschedule the flight the next day, and thus called back the plane,” a DGCA source said, requesting anonymity.
The issue was discussed in a meeting of all agencies at Delhi Airport on December 20.
According to minutes of the meeting, DGCA has expressed concern on GoAir and Kingfisher airlines calling back their planes. “The chairman view it very seriously as passengers were on board. He directed both GoAir and Kingfisher to file a written reply to DGCA in this regard,” the officer added.
“Since equipment at smaller airports are not good enough, airlines avoid flying there in this weather. But there is no point in harassing passengers,” a source said.
{{/usCountry}}“Since equipment at smaller airports are not good enough, airlines avoid flying there in this weather. But there is no point in harassing passengers,” a source said.
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