IGI gears up to tackle fog season

New Delhi: Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), operator of IGI, along with Air Traffic Control (ATC) and Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) on Thursday announced the Indira Gandhi International Airport’s preparedness for the fog season ahead.

To minimise inconvenience to passengers, the airport operator has geared up to ensure continuity of flight operations during the low visibility period (LVP). A new GPS-based navigational system for air side vehicles has been introduced in a bid to enhance operational efficiency.

To minimise flight disruptions, the Dial has made adequate preparations to minimise inconvenience during the LVP that occurs during the two-month-long fog season, likely to commence from December 17.

The LVP is characterised by severe to heavy fog conditions when visibility for flight operations is reduced to around 50 meters.

In 2017, the LVPs may occur between mid December and January, during the fog season, which lasts from December 15 to February 15.

“The three runways 1 Nos  28, 29 and 11 at the IGI Airport are certified for CAT 3 B operations, which would allow landing of the aircraft with visibility as low as 50 meters,” said DIAL’s CEO I. Prabhakara Rao.

“The re-commissioning of T2 will serve as a big help for T1 as it has off-loaded passenger and aircraft traffic at T1. The newly introduced GPS based navigational system for follow-me vehicles will help in effective guidance of the aircraft during dense fog.”

AK Bhardwaj, GM, Air Traffic Management (ATM)-ATC said: “Low visibility procedures for handling air traffic during fog have been promulgated for all the air traffic controllers at IGI airport.”