Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel today blamed the dense fog over the national capital for flight delays and credited the authorities for handling the situation well.
He said dense fog decreased the visibility below 50 metres, as a result of which even state-of-the-art ILS CAT-III B wasn't effective. "Flights cannot operate if the visibility is less than 50 metres," Patel said, emphasising his ministry would not make any compromise on air safety.
On Sunday, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation imposed restrictions on aircraft not equipped to land in runway visibility as low as 50 metres.
"No aircraft which is non-compliant with CAT-IIIB, will come to Delhi in low visibility conditions," civil aviation secretary Naseem Zaidi said. “These aircraft will be allowed to land only after 10 am."
