Delhi airport expects low visibility this week; 2 flights diverted

(Image: Reuters)

Delhi Airport officials expect visibility to be low for the next two days at the airport after at least 100 flights were delayed and two were diverted at Indira Gandhi International Airport due to dense fog on December 27 - when the visibility dropped to less than 200 metres.

"We have asked airlines operating early morning flights to Delhi to issue advisory to passengers on delays that may be caused due to bad weather," a Delhi airport official told Moneycontrol.

Forecasts show Delhi is likely to see moderate to dense fog in the next two days with visibility expected to drop down to 200 metres in parts of the capital.

"The two flights were diverted as captains was not trained to land under CAT conditions," another Delhi airport official said.

Two Delhi-bound flights coming from Doha and Rajkot were diverted to Jaipur due to the dense fog. However, no flight was cancelled.

The airport initiates low visibility procedures (LVP) - measures aimed at making landing for flights easier, when visibility dips below 800 metres.

When the runway visual range (RVR) is minimum 200 metres, then only that pilot - who is trained in instrument landing system Category 3A (CATIIIA) - can land the aircraft. If the RVR is minimum 50 metres, then a pilot who is trained in using CATIIIB landing system can land the aircraft at the airport.

According to officials, CAT-III procedures are initiated when the visibility at runway is between 0-275 metres, while CAT-II is for visibility between 275-550 metres and CAT-I is for visibility above 550 metres.

A change of over 15 minutes from the scheduled time of arrival or departure is classified as a ‘delay’.