IGI Airport: More than 27 flights of different flights were delayed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi, (IGIA) on Thursday, December 18, due to dense fog, which caused a drop in visibility.
“As of now, 27 flights are cancelled, 16 departures and 11 arrivals at the Delhi Airport due to dense fog and low visibility,” an airport official said, quoted PTI. The DIAL, which looks after operations in IGIA, issued a passenger advisory on Thursday morning owing to the worsening weather conditions.
59 IndiGo Flights Cancelled
Meanwhile, IndiGo cancelled 59 flights in the domestic sector as per the official website. According to the official website, the airline cancelled 59 flights on Thursday, and besides cancelling another 28 flights for Friday. However, the specific reasons for the cancellation have not been mentioned by the airline.
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How Do Airlines Operate Under Low Visibility?
For conducting flight operations under low visibility, airlines have to mandatorily deploy CAT-III trained pilots as well as a CAT-compliant aircraft fleet. CAT-III refers to a type of instrument landing system (ILS) approach that allows aircraft to land in conditions of very low visibility, such as fog, rain or snow, with a runway visual range (RVR) of 50-200 meters.
Delhi High Court Rejects PIL On DGCA Probe Over IndiGo Issue
In a separate development, the Delhi High Court declined to consider a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that sought an investigation into the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) regarding alleged irregularities involving IndiGo Airlines. The plea also demanded higher compensation for passengers stranded at airports due to flight cancellations.
The court observed that the plea might have been considered if the petitioner had sought to join an existing case dealing with the same concerns instead of initiating a new public interest litigation. On this basis, the bench declined to hear the present petition.