Dense fog alert: Aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia says measures put in place as 100 flights delayed

IMD issues dense fog alert: Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia said that several measures are being put in place to deal with the fog situation in Delhi and the northern part of the country. The Civil Aviation Ministry is coordinating with the Delhi airport as well as airlines to deal with the issue.

In an interview with news agency PTI, Scindia said that this is a transitory phenomenon and that this year the density of the fog has been more intense than usual. 

"Fog issue is an issue that we encounter 15-20 days every year... this year, there has been unprecedented fog for the last three or four days. We are coordinating with all the airlines to make sure that they have CAT II and CAT III-trained pilots during fog hours, thereby easing congestion," Scindia said. CAT II and III requirement pertains to operation of flights in low visibility conditions. 

The minister’s comments come after at least 100 flights were delayed and a few cancelled due to low visibility at the Delhi airport on December 29. Airlines have also requested passengers to keep a check on the status of the flights on airline websites. Many flights were diverted as well.

The ministry is monitoring the situation on a daily basis. Measures to ensure that there is no congestion during landing have also been ensured. 

Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for very dense fog, which is when visibility drops below 50 meters, in Delhi-NCR region for the next few days. The weather department has urged citizens to avoid unnecessary travel between 4-10 am due to hazardous conditions. 

Heavy fog situation has been forecasted in Delhi as well as Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir in the next five days. 

Also read: Weather update: IMD issues red alert for dense fog in Delhi; several trains, flights delayed

Also read: Delhi weather update: 22 trains, 134 flights delayed as dense fog hits visibility