Delhi airport chaos highlights: Thick fog delays 30 flights, 17 cancelled

Delhi airport highlights January 16: Thirty departing flights were delayed, and 17 were cancelled due to adverse weather conditions. Catch all the latest news updates here

Delhi airport chaos highlights: Many flights and trains were delayed or cancelled in Delhi on Tuesday due to fog,  leading to unsettling disruptions at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport. Airport officials stated that 30 departing flights were delayed, and 17 were cancelled because of adverse weather conditions.

The temperature dipped to 5 degrees Celsius, leading to delays with some passengers awaiting their flights at the airport.

 Low visibility, making  difficult for planes and trains to take off and their flights having to be rescheduled. This is the second day in a row that flights have faced massive delays. Fog-related disruptions also affected train services, with 30 trains experiencing delays due to low visibility.

READ: North India wakes up to thick layer of fog, trains, flights delayed

On Monday, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) instructed airlines to provide accurate real-time information on flight delays and sensitise airport staff for effective communication with passengers during fog-related disruptions.

Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia also assured travellers that efforts were being made to minimise disruptions and emphasised the need for better communication. The DGCA released Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for airlines to follow in such scenarios after chaos erupted in and outside IGI airport on Monday.

 

3:49 PM

Runway 29L now made CAT III compatible, can handle fights during fog: Union Minister Scindia

Taking to X, formerly Twitter, Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said:

"Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) on mitigating passenger inconvenience were issued yesterday to all the airlines.

 

1. In addition to these SOPs, we have sought incidence reporting thrice daily for all the 6 metro airports. 

 

2. Implementation of DGCA Directives, SOPs and CARs will be monitored and reported regularly.

 

 3. ‘War Rooms’ will be set up by airports and airline operators at the 6 Metro Airports to address any issues with regard to passenger inconvenience with immediacy.

 

4. Sufficient CISF manpower availability will be ensured round-the-clock. 

 

5. RWY 29L at Delhi airport has been made CAT III operational today.

 

6. Operationalization of RWY 10/28 as CAT III at Delhi Airport after re-carpeting will also be undertaken.

3:28 PM

SOPs given to airlines to handle fog-induced disruptions: Union Minister Scindia

Taking note of the challenges faced by travellers at airports, Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia took to X, formerly Twitter, and said, "In iew of the fog-induced disruptions, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) on mitigating passenger inconvenience were issued yesterday to all the airlines."

3:15 PM

Have started enquiry to address issue: IndiGo on show cause notice issued by aviation ministry

 

"IndiGo is in receipt of a show cause notice from MoCA's Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) with regard to flight 6E 2195 from Goa to Delhi, diverted to Mumbai on January 14, 2024. IndiGo has already initiated an internal enquiry to address the issue and will be responding to the notice as per protocol."

                                                 
Carrier IndiGo today stated that it has already initiated an internal enquiry to address the issue and will be responding to the notice as per protocol after it received a show cause notice from MoCA's Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS).

                                                                                                             

3:12 PM

IndiGo, Mumbai airport operator get notices from aviation ministry after passengers eat on tarmac

The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), under the aegis of Ministry of Civil Aviation,  has issued notices to IndiGo and the Mumbai airport operator, MIAL, pointing towards multiple violations of security rules and inadequate arrangements in handling passengers of the Goa-Delhi flight that was diverted to the nation's financial capital on Sunday night.

 

A video of the passengers eating on the tarmac was shared by netizens on social media on Monday. The thick fog in north India since Sunday morning has led to delay and cancellation of flight schedules of several airlines. 

11:48 AM

As dense fog blankets North India, flight, train services delayed

10:43 AM

Delhi airport chaos: Thirty departing flights delayed, 17 cancelled

 

 

The minimum temperature fell to five degrees Celsius, causing delays with passengers awaiting their flights at the airport. This is the second day in a row that flights have faced massive delays.