Delhi and its IGI airport witnessed severe flight disruptions over the weekend and early this week due to dense fog blanketing the capital and plummeting visibility. Hundreds of angry passengers dealt with cancellations, delays as authorities scramble to minimize inconvenience.
Chaotic Scenes at Airport
On Tuesday itself, around 30 flight departures from Delhi were delayed while 17 others were cancelled as per reports. Similar delays/cancellations were seen over Sunday and Monday as well with visibility dropping dangerously low.
The scene at airport terminals was chaotic with large crowds of passengers venting frustrations over constantly rescheduling flights. Some even lashed out, like the flyer who attacked an Indigo pilot.
Passengers on a diverted Indigo flight also created drama by sitting on Mumbai tarmac demanding food and water. It spotlighted the plight of flyers in such conditions.
New Fog Guidelines Issued for Airlines
Against this backdrop, India’s aviation regulator DGCA has now released updated standard operating procedures for airlines to follow during such fog-related disruptions.
Airlines can pre-emptively cancel flights anticipated to be delayed by over 3 hours in order to decongest airports. Real-time information on cancellations/delays also needs to be promptly shared with flyers over SMS/email.
Additionally, airlines have been directed to better train ground staff to handle passenger queries and complaints with empathy during such situations.
The new guidelines also mandate that flight tickets carry references to passenger rights in scenarios like flight cancellation or boarding denial.
Political Focus on Issue
The flight disruptions and hardships faced by passengers prompted aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia to step in. He held an emergency meeting and directed DGCA to formulate SOPs ensuring “better communication and facilitation of passengers.”
With general elections next year, the Modi government is also facing heat to avoid such amplifier aviation infrastructure failures eroding middle-class voter sentiment.
While fog is a perennial winter phenomenon in northern India, improving technology aids at airports and airlines adhering to passenger-friendly regulations is the need of the hour.
For lakhs of harried passengers, that along with political accountability can provide some respite until the yearly fog seasons passes.
