Delhi remained shrouded in dense fog on Tuesday as 30 more flights departing from the national capital were delayed and 17 departing flights were canceled due to weather conditions.

New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport issued an advisory amid foggy conditions, urging passengers to contact airlines before travelling.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), dense to very dense fog conditions are likely to continue over North India during the next 4-5 days. Over 500 flights were delayed while 87 were canceled from IGI airport on Sunday.

With low visibility conditions significantly hampering flight operations at the Delhi airport, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Monday said all stakeholders are working round the clock to minimize fog-related impact as well as passenger inconvenience. Have been.

Three CAT III-capable runways

Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi is equipped with a state-of-the-art anti-fog landing system called CAT IIIB Instrument Landing System (ILS). ILS is a guidance system that helps aircraft land in low visibility conditions with the help of radio signals and sometimes high intensity light arrays.

Delhi airport is equipped with CAT IIIB system which operates on three runways. Delhi airport has four runways – RW 09/27, RW 11R/29L, RW 10/28 and RW 11L/29R. Among them, three runways, including CAT III-compliant RW 11L/29R, are operational. CAT III-compliant RW 10/28 is undergoing maintenance work.

Delhi airport operator DIAL has been directed to expedite operations of the CAT III-capable fourth runway. When a runway is CAT-III-compliant, flight operations can take place even in low visibility conditions.

CAT III compliant aircraft can land in visibility greater than 50 metres, but the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) recommends taking off only in visibility of 125 meters or more.

disturbance cranes

The Gurgaon E-way end of IGIA’s CAT III runway – 29L – was downgraded to CAT I on January 13 (Saturday). According to a report in The Times of India, the reason for this is that the cranes erected for the construction of the Dwarka E-way were causing interference to the signals of the CAT III instrument landing system on the 29L side.

Delhi International Airport Limited has reportedly asked NHAI and the contractor to lower the cranes. Many users on social media claimed that only one of the four runways was operational. Reports state that another CAT IIIB-compliant runway is under maintenance for recarpeting, and hence, has not been in operation for weeks.

However, the Civil Aviation Ministry issued a clarification on Monday, saying, “All three operational runways at Delhi airport, including the CAT III runway, were handling flight operations as per their capacities yesterday, however, the capacity was reduced due to intense fog.” “

cascading effect

Due to delays and cancellations of many flights, there was no parking space for planes, adding to the disruption. Around 70 planes of GoAir, which crashed in May, and several other planes of IndiGo, which are awaiting engine replacement, have been stuck at the IGI airport for several months.

Delhi airport has parking stands for 191 flights while it handles around 1,300 flights daily. Disruption in flight movements and aircraft having to wait for ground clearance led to a severe shortage of space.

descend

In many cases, passengers had to wait for hours inside the aircraft, stuck in long queues. In many cases, passengers become restless and demand to get off the plane rather than spend hours inside the plane.

But deboarding passengers after boarding is not an easy process and requires clearance from airport security after boarding has been completed and luggage has already been loaded. Passengers disembarking from the aircraft so that they can wait at the terminal may be required to undergo additional screening by the airline.

terminal congestion

The scene at Delhi airport looked chaotic in the last few days as passengers waiting for departure waited for long hours for their flight. Videos uploaded on social media showed people waiting for long periods inside the plane and at seating areas in the terminal. It is becoming difficult to handle the load of passengers at Terminal 2 of the airport.