Aviation Minister Urges Airlines To Prioritize Passenger Safety And Cancel Flights Delayed By Over 3 Hours

NEW DELHI: Union Minister of Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu stressed the significance of “passenger-centric approach and passenger safety” on Wednesday, urging airlines to notify passengers of possible delays or cancellations due to visibility concerns and to cancel flights that are more than three hours late.

CAT III ILS systems are in place on three of the Delhi Airport’s four runways, ensuring safe landings even in the event of severely low visibility. An important review meeting on fog readiness was being chaired by the Minister.

The decision was arrived at following 14 flights being diverted and numerous more being delayed at the Delhi airport on Monday due to poor visibility caused by inclement weather in the nation’s capital.

A statement from the Civil Aviation Ministry read, “All the airlines have confirmed adherence with DGCA guidelines to deploy CAT II/III compliant aircraft and pilots in Delhi and other fog affected airports. Three out of four runways at the Delhi Airport have activated CAT III ILS systems”.

Notably, pilots with CAT III training are permitted to take off or land aircraft in extremely poor visibility situations.

The statement further said, “In addition, the Delhi Airport operator has been advised to install LED screens at prominent locations to provide real time updates on visibility conditions and to increase the availability of 'Follow Me' vehicles to guide aircraft during low visibility situations”.

In the event that visibility problems cause delays or cancellations, airlines are required to notify passengers in advance and to cancel flights if they are more than three hours late.

“The Minister has also instructed airlines to proactively communicate with passengers about potential delays/cancellations due to visibility issues and to ensure that correct passenger contact information is recorded during ticket booking. And the flight has to be cancelled if the delay is exceeding 3 hours”, the statement further added.

It continued, “Acknowledging the need for operational efficiency during peak hours. Minister directed that all check-in counters be fully staffed to minimise passenger inconvenience. He also emphasised the importance of adhering to DGCA guidelines during delays/cancellations and at the same time ensuring passengers are timely informed. Our priority during any such delay/cancellations is proper facilitation of the passengers”.

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