Over 134 Flights Delayed Due To Fog As Delhi Airport Grapples With Just One CAT-III Runway
Flight operations from and to the Indira Gandhi Airport in Delhi have been severely affected for the third consecutive day on Thursday as the national capital and adjoining areas have been covered in a thick blanket of fog.
Poor visibility affected over 100 flights (domestic and international) departure and arrival at the IGI airport.
Over 100 flights delayed?
While 35 international flight departures got delayed from Delhi, 28 international arrivals got delayed as well. On the other hand, 43 domestic departures and 28 domestic arrivals got delayed.
Visuals from the Indira Gandhi International Airport showed passengers queuing up at the gates of the airport amid intense fog.
On Wednesday, the IMD issued a dense fog alert for the national capital. "It is to inform to all that Dense fog has already set in over some pockets of Delhi including at IGI Airport Palam since 0830pm today of 27th Dec 2023," the IMD said in a social media post.
Visibility at Delhi airport
The weather office also stated that the visibility at Delhi-Palam Airport dropped from 100 meter at 2130 IST to 50 meter at 2200 IST on Wednesday.
The IMD classifies fog intensity into four types -- shallow, moderate, dense and very dense fog which ranges from 999m to 500m, 499m to 200m, 199m to 50m and < 50m, respectively.
What is causing the delay
Earlier, Delhi airport had issued a fog update stating: "While landing and takeoff continue at Delhi airport, flights that are not CAT III compliant may get affected."
CAT III pertains to operating flights when the visibility is quite low.
CAT III-B ILS lets aircraft land with Runway Visual Range (RVR) of up to 50m with a decision height of 15m.
However, according to a report by The Times of India, there is only one CAT-III runway in IGI where planes can land during very low visibility.
The main runway of IGI 28/10, which also has CAT III-B is currently closed for repairs leaving just one runway, 29L/11R for low-visibility landings.
What IMD said
In response to the challenging weather conditions, the IMD has advised the public to exercise caution.
"Dense Fog Advisory for Punjab, Haryana, Delhi Uttar Pradesh, north Rajasthan & north Madhya Pradesh. Be careful while driving or outing through any transport. Use fog lights during driving. Be in touch with airlines, railways and state transport for the schedule of your journey," IMD said on Thursday morning.
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