Fog mandate: DGCA denies Akasa relief, enforces CAT-III pilot rule

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has directed Akasa Air to immediately comply with its mandate to deploy only CAT-III-trained pilots at all six major fog-affected airports, even as it reviews the airline's requests for certain exemptions, sources told Business Standard on Tuesday.

 

Akasa Air had on November 29 requested the aviation regulator to exempt it from deploying CAT-III-trained pilots on flights to and from two major fog-affected airports, Kolkata and Bengaluru, for specific periods, as there is a shortage of such pilots in its roster, sources said. 

 

The airline had informed the DGCA that without this exemption, its entire flight operations could face a "cascading" impact. 

 

Pilots trained on CAT-III instrument landing systems can land in low-visibility conditions at airports equipped with these systems. The three subcategories—CAT-III A, B, and C—permit landings with minimum runway visibility of 175m, 50m, and zero visibility, respectively. Akasa Air did not respond to queries from the newspaper on this issue.

 

On November 13, the DGCA instructed airlines to comply with the fog mandate, requiring only "CAT III-ready" pilots and aircraft for flights to and from fog-affected airports, which include Delhi, Lucknow, Kolkata and Bengaluru, between 9 PM and 10 AM. This year, the regulator's directive has been implemented a bit earlier than usual due to the early onset of fog and smog in northern India.

 

On November 29, Akasa Air wrote to the DGCA seeking exemption from this mandate for flights operating to and from Bengaluru and Kolkata airports between 9pm and 4am. While the airline did not explicitly mention it in the letter, sources mentioned that this request was due to a shortage of CAT III-trained pilots. The airline currently has about 105 such pilots, whereas approximately 165 are required.

 

In its November 29 letter, Akasa Air warned that without the requested exemption, its operations at Bengaluru and Kolkata airports would face "significant disruptions," severely affecting its overall network and causing inconvenience to passengers.

 

"The cascading effect of these disruptions will extend beyond just the immediate delays at Bengaluru and Kolkata. Aircraft that are unable to land as per schedule will cause ripple delays across the network, impacting subsequent departures, crew schedules, airport slot performance, and ultimately causing a cascading effect on passengers," it said.

 

The airline sought this exemption citing weather data, which showed that the runway visual range (visibility) at Bengaluru airport never dropped below 550 meters between 9 pm and 4 am from December 10, 2023, to February 10, 2024. For Kolkata airport, it noted that the visibility dropped below 550 meters only once during the same time period.

 

 Sources said the DGCA on Tuesday told the airline its request is "under examination" and the current directive will remain in force until a decision is made.

 

Sources mentioned that the airline, which started flight operations in August 2022, plans to achieve CAT-related approvals or pilot training in phases. They talked about the airline's strategy, which has made plans keeping in mind that the topography of southern and northern states is different, and that Bengaluru will be impacted differently than Delhi.