The civil aviation ministry revealed that dense fog in January led to the cancellation of 496 flights and delayed 8,038 flights, according to a written reply to the Lok Sabha by Minister of State for Civil Aviation V K Singh on Thursday (February 8).
“The total number of flights delayed and cancelled during January 2024 is 8,038 and 496, respectively,” V K Singh said.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) conducts meetings with stakeholders before the fog season and issues instructions to ensure smooth flight operations during low visibility conditions.
The DGCA has also mandated that all flight crew members be qualified for take-off, instrument approaches, and operations to the lowest CAT-I/II/III minima as applicable.
CAT-III flight operations
CAT-III operations are specifically for flights operating in low visibility conditions. V K Singh confirmed that a significant number of domestic and international flights experienced delays due to dense fog during the current winter season.
He stated that in January 2024, a total of 8,038 flights were delayed and 496 were cancelled.
Additionally, Singh highlighted that the number of pilots trained for CAT-III operations has increased by 16% compared to October 2023, with 6,191 CAT-III trained pilots as of December 2023, including 3,744 commanders and 2,447 co-pilots.