Airlines' haze on fog lingers

New Delhi: Last winter we saw chaotic scenes at IGI Airport and this year is not promising to be too different with private airlines not too keen to train their pilots in the instrument landing system (ILS) that helps flights land and take-off even in thick fog.
While most airlines are in the process of finalising plans for the coming months, one thing is evident — other than Indian and Air India, only Kingfisher at present is capable of flying in heavy fog conditions, when visibility drops to 200m-50m. Even then, only some of its pilots are trained to handle the ILS.
With roughly 180 flights operating out of Delhi per day, only about 55 can operate on very foggy days. Last year, for instance, about 152 flight movements were recorded on days when low visibility procedures were implemented at IGI. Private airlines say that the process of getting pilots trained for CAT III is not only expensive but also a rigorous process and hence, not worth it for the 10 days or so of fog.
According to sources, the cost of training a pilot for CAT III operations is about Rs 12 lakh.
Consequently, airlines are now busy planning the winter calendar when several flights could be rescheduled.
05/10/07 Times of India

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Categories: Airports Oct 2007, Safety Oct 2007