Unruly passenger behaviour unacceptable: Jyotiraditya Scindia on assault on IndiGo pilot

Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia

Amid the severe fog conditions in Delhi which caused a flyer on a Delhi-Goa Indigo flight to assault the pilot, Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on January 15, requested passengers 'to bear with us during this difficult period.'

In a post on the social micro-blogging website X formerly known as Twitter, Scindia said that steps are being taken “to mitigate the situation in the near future.”

He also assured people that all stakeholders are “working round the clock to minimise the fog-related impact” on flight delays out of Delhi.

Yesterday, Delhi witnessed unprecedented fog wherein visibility fluctuated for several hours, and at times, dropped to zero between 5 AM to 9 AM.

The authorities, therefore, were compelled to enforce a shut-down of operations for some time even on CAT III runways (CAT III…

— Jyotiraditya M. Scindia (@JM_Scindia) January 15, 2024

The minister added that the Delhi airport has been asked to expedite the operationalisation of the CAT III-enabled 4th runway to mitigate the fog-related delays.

He added that the decision was taken keeping passenger safety in mind, which remains the foremost priority for all in the aviation ecosystem.

The minister also said the DGCA will issue an SOP for airlines on better communication and facilitation of passengers. This will aim to minimise discomfort due to weather-related flight cancellations & delays.

He also warned that unruly behaviour by passengers is unacceptable and will be dealt with strongly.

"Incidences of unruly behaviour amidst this are unacceptable, and will be dealt with strongly in line with the existing legal provisions," Scindia said.

Also read: Delhi airport: 10 flights diverted, nearly 100 delayed as dense fog disrupts operations

As Delhi succumbs to smog, causing disruptions in air and rail travel and traffic snarls on expressways to the national capital, the ripple effect leads to delays in flights throughout the country. The delay in flights to and from Delhi sets off a chain reaction of delays.

The Mumbai-Chennai leg of a Delhi-Mumbai-Chennai flight will naturally face delays when the flight’s departure from Delhi gets delayed.

Certainly, it is important to note that the pilots, crew, and the respective airlines hardly bear responsibility for the inconvenience experienced by passengers due to such flight delays. A thoughtful consideration by passengers would provide a more reasoned perspective.

Operations at airports in north India, especially Delhi, were significantly impacted by dense fog on Sunday resulting in diversion, cancellation and delay of many flights.