Delayed Flights To Be Cancelled? DGCA Issues New Guidelines To Airlines Amid Dense Fog, Chaos At Airports

DGCA Guidelines For Airlines:  The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Monday issued a new Standard Operating Procedure which might mandate airlines to cancel flights which get delayed beyond three hours. These new SOPs were announced in the wake of dense fog in the north Indian states, reported NDTV.

The aviation watchdog has also ordered the airlines to provide facilities according to the newly issued Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) guidelines. It also said that 'airlines may cancel flights that are likely to be delayed or "consequentially delayed" beyond three hours.'

"Facilities to be provided to passengers by airlines due to denied boarding, cancellation of flights and delays in flights. The airlines are also required to publish the reference of the CAR on the flight tickets. It is, accordingly, obligatory on the part of all airlines to mandatorily adhere to the provisions of the above CAR," the guidelines by DGCA stated.

DGCA issues SOPs to airlines regarding flight cancellations due to excessive delays during adverse weather conditions.

DGCA has issued Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) Section-3, Series M Part IV "Facilities to be provided to passengers by airlines due to denied boarding,… pic.twitter.com/Yee0lBv42L

— ANI (@ANI) January 15, 2024

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The guidelines further noted: Airlines shall be required to publish accurate real-time information regarding delays of their flights, which shall be published on the respective website of the airline, through advance information to affected passengers by SMS/ WhatsApp and email, display of updated information regarding flight delays to passengers waiting at the airports and appropriate sensitization of the airline staff at the airports to suitably communicate with and continuously guide & inform the passengers about flight delays.

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Following severe fog conditions and zero visibility, Delhi Airport experienced a ruckus on Monday, with over 150 flights facing delays and around 80 being cancelled. Angry passengers shared videos on social media depicting discomfort and crowded terminals. In a disturbing incident related to a flight delay, a passenger attacked an Indigo pilot and was later arrested.

In response to the challenging conditions, aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia assured the public that all stakeholders are working tirelessly to minimise the impact of fog-related disruptions.

“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 wrote on social media X.