Aviation minister outlines mitigation measures due to unprecedented fog

Severe fog conditions in Delhi led to flight diversions and delays, prompting Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia to outline measures aimed at mitigating the situation. Acknowledging the unprecedented fog, which resulted in fluctuating visibility and, at times, zero visibility between 5 AM to 9 AM, Scindia assured the public that all stakeholders are working tirelessly to minimize the impact on flight operations.

In a social media post, Minister Scindia said “Yesterday, Delhi witnessed unprecedented fog wherein visibility fluctuated for several hours, and at times, dropped to zero between 5 AM to 9 AM. The authorities, therefore, were compelled to enforce a shutdown of operations for some time even on CAT III runways (CAT III runways cannot handle Zero-Visibility operations). The decision was taken keeping passenger safety in mind, which remains the foremost priority for all in the aviation ecosystem.” Scindia also requested travelers to bear with the authorities “during this difficult period”.

Sharing the steps taken to resolve the issue, the aviation minister said, “Delhi Airport has been asked to immediately expedite the operationalization of the CAT III-enabled 4th runway (in addition to the existing CAT III-enabled runway) to the satisfaction of the DGCA, in order to get approvals”