IGI gadget flops again, hits 150 flights
About 150 flights were delayed and several hundred passengers remained stuck inside aircraft as congestion, coupled with only runway 28/10 that was available for operations, compounding the chaos.
By TNN |
NEW DELHI: Weeks after it was set right, the runway visual range (RVR) machine at IGI developed more problems on Saturday. As a result, only a single runway was in use for a large part of the morning, all due to the fog.
About 150 flights were delayed and several hundred passengers remained stuck inside aircraft as congestion, coupled with only runway 28/10 that was available for operations, compounding the chaos. The RVR machine for runway 29 developed a technical problem after the dense fog led to the accumulation of moisture in the machine.
Airport sources said the RVR stopped functioning just after midnight and was set right only by 10 am. While the runway is not used between 10 pm and 6 am due to night restrictions, it plays a vital role in clearing the morning congestion.
“Due to moisture on the mirror of the machine, we were unable to get RVR values. From about 8.30 am, the Met department had to give manual readings to assist in flight operations. These can’t be used during CAT-III operations, so we had to wait for visibility to improve,’’ said a senior official.
On the first day of dense fog on January 2, both runways were out of service for several hours as the RVR system had collapsed due to a human error.
Low visibility procedures were implemented at the airport between 10.07 pm on Friday and 11.10 am on Saturday. Very dense fog conditions prevailed between midnight and about 8.30 am during which visibility was below 50m and the RVR was fluctuating between 100m and 175m.
“There were three diversions and three cancellations on Saturday while 15 flights were rescheduled,’’ said a source.
The problem of delays was compounded by the fact that Delhi’s airspace was closed for an hour from 11.15 am for R-Day practice. “From midnight, only the main runway was operational. For a short while in the morning , some flights operated from the new runway but by 11.15 am, both runways were shut. Real operations started only after 12.15 pm with practically half the day gone,” said an airline official.
About 150 flights were delayed and several hundred passengers remained stuck inside aircraft as congestion, coupled with only runway 28/10 that was available for operations, compounding the chaos. The RVR machine for runway 29 developed a technical problem after the dense fog led to the accumulation of moisture in the machine.
Airport sources said the RVR stopped functioning just after midnight and was set right only by 10 am. While the runway is not used between 10 pm and 6 am due to night restrictions, it plays a vital role in clearing the morning congestion.
“Due to moisture on the mirror of the machine, we were unable to get RVR values. From about 8.30 am, the Met department had to give manual readings to assist in flight operations. These can’t be used during CAT-III operations, so we had to wait for visibility to improve,’’ said a senior official.
On the first day of dense fog on January 2, both runways were out of service for several hours as the RVR system had collapsed due to a human error.
Low visibility procedures were implemented at the airport between 10.07 pm on Friday and 11.10 am on Saturday. Very dense fog conditions prevailed between midnight and about 8.30 am during which visibility was below 50m and the RVR was fluctuating between 100m and 175m.
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“There were three diversions and three cancellations on Saturday while 15 flights were rescheduled,’’ said a source.
The problem of delays was compounded by the fact that Delhi’s airspace was closed for an hour from 11.15 am for R-Day practice. “From midnight, only the main runway was operational. For a short while in the morning , some flights operated from the new runway but by 11.15 am, both runways were shut. Real operations started only after 12.15 pm with practically half the day gone,” said an airline official.
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