New Delhi:
In post-Christmas blues for travellers in and out of the capital, the first major fog of the season stalled air traffic completely at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport for over an hour early on Sunday morning. (Read: Fog hits flights, many stranded)
Angry passengers complained they were not informed of flight delays in advance, though the Met department had predicted heavy fog. (Watch: MMS of angry passengers at Mumbai airport)
With 38 flights cancelled and nearly 50 flights delayed, the fog in Delhi had a cascading effect across the country.
A worried government called an urgent review meet and decided to make it easier for flights to take off in dense fog conditions.
"This year we have taken new steps to lower the take-off visibility minima, which has been brought down from 175 m to 150 m for bigger aircraft like Boeing 747. For others it has been brought down from 150 m to 125 m. Those aircraft which are not compliant with the 3B instrument landing system will land only after 10 am when the visibility is good," Civil Aviation Secretary Nasim Zaidi said. (Read: New Govt guidelines)
But these assurances mean little for passengers who found themselves stranded at the airport, their flight delayed indefinitely. And with no answers from the authorities their patience ran out.
Only Category-III compliant planes and pilots have been given the go-ahead by the ministry to fly in foggy conditions to keep passengers safe.
And just hours after the ministry orders, came a warning from Delhi airport authorities to air travellers - expect dense fog ahead and check with your airline before coming to the airport.
Angry passengers complained they were not informed of flight delays in advance, though the Met department had predicted heavy fog. (Watch: MMS of angry passengers at Mumbai airport)
With 38 flights cancelled and nearly 50 flights delayed, the fog in Delhi had a cascading effect across the country.
A worried government called an urgent review meet and decided to make it easier for flights to take off in dense fog conditions.
"This year we have taken new steps to lower the take-off visibility minima, which has been brought down from 175 m to 150 m for bigger aircraft like Boeing 747. For others it has been brought down from 150 m to 125 m. Those aircraft which are not compliant with the 3B instrument landing system will land only after 10 am when the visibility is good," Civil Aviation Secretary Nasim Zaidi said. (Read: New Govt guidelines)
But these assurances mean little for passengers who found themselves stranded at the airport, their flight delayed indefinitely. And with no answers from the authorities their patience ran out.
Only Category-III compliant planes and pilots have been given the go-ahead by the ministry to fly in foggy conditions to keep passengers safe.
And just hours after the ministry orders, came a warning from Delhi airport authorities to air travellers - expect dense fog ahead and check with your airline before coming to the airport.
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