In the wake of massive flight cancellations and delays at various airports including the Delhi airport due to the fog and adverse weather conditions, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DCGA) has issued a set of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the airlines.
The SOPs will have to be mandatorily adhered by the airlines with immediate effect and has been issued in public interest.
The aviation watchdog said that airlines should publish accurate real-time information regarding delays in their flights. There should also be appropriate sensitisation of the airline staff at the airports to suitably communicate with and continuously guide and inform the passengers about flight delays, according to a release.
“In view of the prevalent fog season and adverse weather conditions, airlines may cancel, sufficiently in advance, such flights that are anticipated to be delayed or consequentially delayed on account of such conditions beyond a period of 3 hours with a view to obviate congestion at the airport and mitigate passenger inconvenience,” it added.
As per the official release, DGCA has issued Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) Section-3, Series M Part IV “Facilities to be provided to passengers by airlines due to denied boarding, cancellation of flights and delays in flights.”
The airlines have also been asked to publish the reference of the CAR on the flight tickets. The facility of CAR has been issued by DCGA in order to ensure appropriate protection for air travelers in case of flight disruptions and, in particular, denied boarding, flight cancellations and delays without due notice to the passengers booked on the flights.
The SOPs mentioned in the release further states:
- Airlines shall be required to publish accurate real-time information regarding delays of their flights, which shall be published on the respective website of the airline and through advance information to affected passengers by SMS/ WhatsApp and email.
- Display of updated information regarding flight delays to passengers waiting at the airports.
- Appropriate sensitization of the airline staff at the airports to suitably communicate with and continuously guide & inform the passengers about flight
In cases of extraordinary circumstances which are beyond the control of the airline, the provisions of the above CAR are not applicable, the release stated.
This comes hours after Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said all stakeholders are working round-the-clock to minimise fog-related disruptions in flight operations.
Centre Asks DIAL to Operate CAT III B Runway
The Centre on Monday directed Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) to immediately operationalise IGIA’s main CAT III B runway – 28/10 – as heavy and unprecedented fog continues to cause flight disruptions across the country, especially North India.
A CAT IIIB system facilitates precise approach and landing under specific visibility conditions, typically no less than 50 feet (15m) and a visual range of fewer than 200 meters, but not below 50 meters.
Flights Disrupted Amidst Foggy Weather in Delhi
A total of five flights were diverted at the Delhi airport early morning on Monday due to bad weather, according to an official.
Four flights were diverted to Jaipur and one flight to Ahmedabad between 1 am and 5 am, the official said.
On Sunday, 10 flights were diverted and some were cancelled as the airport operations were significantly impacted due to low visibility conditions and dense fog.
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