More than 200 planes were delayed as a result of fog in Delhi

More than 200 planes were delayed as a result of fog in Delhi

Delhi Airport's limited capacity for CAT-III compliant runways makes it difficult to conduct flights when visibility is poor.

New Delhi: On Wednesday, heavy fog hindered visibility and negatively impacted aircraft operations at Delhi airport, the busiest and biggest in the nation.

Five planes were reportedly diverted as of seven in the morning, three to Jaipur, one to Ahmedabad, and one to Mumbai, according to an airport official. Low visibility caused around 200 planes at Delhi airport to be delayed overall.

The majority of flight diversions involved aircraft that weren't flown by pilots with CAT-III certification. In aviation, an advanced instrument landing system (ILS) approach that makes landings in very poor visibility situations (due to fog, rain, or snow) is referred to as Category III, or CAT III. When runway visibility is as low as 50 feet (15 meters) and the visual range is between 50 and 200 meters, the CAT III system still allows for precise approaches and landings.

However, aviation operations during poor visibility are additionally hampered by the airport's limited capacity for CAT-III compliant runways. The airport's oldest runway, 9/27, is not CAT-III compatible, despite having three other runways that are.

Runway 28/10 operations, which are now being re-carpeted, have been put on hold until the middle of February until the Directorate General of Civil Aviation completes its investigation. Officials anticipate approval for CAT-III landings at both ends of Runway 29R-11L by the end of next month. The runway is CAT-III compliant at one end. Consequently, the primary runway for CAT-III aircraft operations at this time is Runway 29L-11R.

Rainy weather on Wednesday might cause further disruptions to flights, according to airport authorities. The biggest airline in India, IndiGo, has alerted customers to potential travel disruptions resulting from unfavorable weather conditions in Delhi, Srinagar, and Chandigarh.

"Due to poor visibility expected in Delhi (DEL), Varanasi (VNS), Patna (PAT), Ayodhya (AYJ), Bagdogra (IXB), as well Darbhanga (DBR), light rain in Dharamshala (DHM), and snowfall in Srinagar. (SXR) along with Leh (IXL), all departures/arrivals and their resulting flights may be compromised. Passengers are requested to keep an eye on their flight status," SpiceJet stated on the social media site X.