Delhi Airport chaos: Aviation Minister reveals plans to solve flight delay crisis

Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia has blamed heavy fog for chaos at Delhi airport. In response to long delays at the Airport, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia has said that the government has ordered the airport authorities to expedite the operationalization of the CAT III-enabled 4th runway, in addition to the existing CAT III-enabled runway.

Blanketed by dense fog, Delhi Airport was forced to close CAT III runways, which can't handle zero-visibility operations. Scindia said it was don keeping in mind the security of the passengers.

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"The decision was taken keeping passenger safety in mind, which remains the foremost priority for all in the aviation ecosystem," said the Minister.


"DGCA will issue an SOP for airlines on better communication and facilitation of passengers to minimise discomfort in view of flight cancellations and delays due to adverse weather. It is my earnest request to all travellers to bear with us during this difficult period," said Scindia in his post on social media platform 'X.'

Early during the day, Delhi airport had issued an advisory for the passengers.

"While landing and takeoffs continue at Delhi Airport, flights that are not CAT III compliant may get affected. Passengers are requested to contact the airline concerned for updated flight information. Any inconvenience caused is deeply regretted," said Delhi Airport in a post on 'X.'

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Over 100 flights have been delayed and cancelled due to the dense fog which has disrupted operations at the Delhi Airport.

Cold wave alert in North India:
IMD Indian Meteorological Department issued an alert amid the cold wave.

"Very dense fog layer extends over Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, North Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. Passengers on highways need to drive extremely carefully and only with fog lights," the IMD posted from its X handle.

"Journeys need to be halted until fog reduction by morning especially on expressways. Very Dense fog reporting over Amritsar, Chandigarh, Patiala, Ambala, Ganganagar, Palam, Safdarjung, Lucknow with visibility 0 meter since 0230 hrs IST of today," it added.

The fog is likely to prevail during the morning hours in isolated pockets of northwest India during the next three to four days, the Met agency said.

(with agency inputs)