Flight alert: Frequent fogs ahead

Mumbai: Fog, coupled with a drop in the number of available commanders, is set to disrupt flight schedules in a big way over the next few months.
The Met Department has forecast around 150 hours of less-than-50 metre visibility this winter. With Indian airports ill-equipped to handle operations during low visibility, delays and cancellations are likely to be the order of the day.
"Only one Indian airport (Delhi) and only one runway of that airport has a CAT-III-B landing facility," said a flight commander. A CAT-III-B Instrument Landing System allows for operations when runway visibility is as low as 50 metres.
To complicate matters, about 20 per cent of the 680 foreign pilots in India are expected to head home for the Christmas vacation. "This will mean more delays and cancellations," said a top airline official.
The financial forecast is as gloomy. The Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation, a consultant group, has estimated that fog delays will cost the Indian airline industry around Rs 60 crore this fiscal.
15/11/07 Manju V/Times of India

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Categories: Airports Nov 2007, Safety Nov 2007