250 flights delayed; 50 cancelled

New Delhi: For the first time after the onset of winter, domestic and international flights at Delhi airport were affected on Friday. Over 250 flights were delayed and 50 cancelled due to heavy fog.
Several passengers were forced to stay inside airplanes for four to six hours as the Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) and airlines tried to deal with low visibility. Around 2.40 am, the authorities started gearing up to deal with the situation. By 3.45 am, visibility was as low as 50 metres, forcing authorities to switch to the CAT III-B landing system.
DIAL officials said around 72 flights arrived and departed under low-visibility conditions. Most airlines used the CAT I facility for landing. Three Air India flights used the CAT III-B facility, while three others used CAT III-A.
Fog conditions improved by 11 am and normal flight operations were started. Simultaneous use of the both the runways for domestic flights was started by 11.15 am.
15/12/07 Expressindia.com

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Categories: Airports Dec 2007, General Aviation Dec 2007, Safety Dec 2007