Sources said the notices were issued after a DGCA probe found that these airlines had not deployed pilots trained to operate flights using the CAT-III instrument landing system.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has served show-cause notices to Air India and SpiceJet over recent fog-related delays as well as diversions at the Delhi airport, sources told FE.
Sources said the notices were issued after a DGCA probe found that these airlines had not deployed pilots trained to operate flights using the CAT-III instrument landing system. Air India and SpiceJet did not respond to the request of comment till the time of going to press.
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In technical terms, the CAT III (category III) instrument landing system provides landing guidance to aircraft during foggy conditions, at night or in inclement weather conditions.
The system guides an aircraft to approach the runway with minimal visibility of about 200 to 50 feet. The last week of December saw low visibility procedures being implemented at the national capital’s IGI Airport due to fog.
According to protocol, airlines operating in and out of the airport had to adhere to a minimum deployment standard for CAT-III B-compliant aircraft as well as pilots.
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However, the situation worsened and saw massive delays and diversions at the airport, which lasted from December 25 to December 29. It is estimated that nearly 500 flights were delayed, with over 65 diverted and 20–30 canceled during this period alone.
More than 60 flights were diverted from Delhi airport to Jaipur, Lucknow and Ahmedabad between December 25 and December 29. Of these, the cause of the diversion of over 50 flights was pilots not being trained to operate in low-visibility conditions.
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“The airport handles around 1,200 to 1,300 ATMs (air traffic movements) per day,” a source said. “Flight delays of this magnitude upsets the whole schedule of the airport. The domino effect then further delays other flights and operations, even when the low visibility procedures are lifted.”
