Air India: Fog Mitigation Plan for Flight Disruptions

Mumbai, Dec 9 (PTI) To mitigate flight disruptions during the impending fog season, Tata Group-owned Air India on Tuesday said it has taken various measures, including rostering crew trained to operate in low-visibility conditions, as well as aircraft compliant for such operations.

Aviation regulator DGCA has announced December 10 to February 10 next year as the official fog window during this winter. The northern parts of India, including Air India's primary hub, Delhi, experience low visibility due to dense fog, with a potential to have a cascading impact on flight schedules across the network.

Air India, in a statement, said it has taken various measures, including rostering CAT-IIIB crew in adequate numbers, as well as aircraft which are compliant for such operations to mitigate disruption and minimise passenger experience during the fog season.

These measures also include network-wide airport readiness, tech-enabled passenger assistance and proactive communications to minimise passenger inconvenience during the period.

Air India also said it is "working" in close coordination with all stakeholders as well.

Following marked improvements in operations during the fog window last year, and taking cues from the previous years' experiences, Air India has further strengthened its internal SOPs and adopted proactive measures to address potential fog-related delays and disruptions, the airline said.

Air India said it will ensure adequate cockpit crew, trained in Low Visibility Operations (LVO) through III B or specific Instrument Landing System (ILS), is in place to operate flights during the critical fog window. This also includes trained crew on stand-by for any exigency.

Along with this, Cat III-B certified aircraft will also be deployed for operations during the fog window at strategic locations that are prone to fog impact, the airline said.

Category-III is an advanced navigation system that empowers an aircraft to land under foggy conditions. Category-III-A is a precision instrument approach and landing that enables a plane to land with a runway visual range (RVR) of 200 meters, while Category-III-B helps in landing with an RVR of under 50 metres.

It also said that airport teams will monitor delays, make regular announcements, and proactively rebook impacted passengers on alternative flights, adding that flight schedules have been aligned to minimise inconvenience to passengers on long-haul and metro-to-metro flights with onward connectivity.

Also, the Integrated Operations Control Centre and teams at key airports across Air India's domestic network will work round-the-clock to keep every flight running safely and smoothly. This includes real-time met forecast to help prepare for anticipated disruptions, safety risk assessments for severe weather alerts and enabling proactive schedule adjustments, Air India.

It also said that passengers will receive alerts over SMS, WhatsApp and email before arriving at the airport and real-time updates will continue across the Air India website and social channels.