Fog grounds Delhi airport

New Delhi: With more than 200 flights delayed, 12 flights diverted and around 25 cancelled, it was a harrowing Christmas for several passengers at the Delhi airport on the first day of exclusive runway use. The condition was worsened by fog, which covered Delhi airport for nearly four hours.
The chaos began at around 6 am when a thick blanket of fog suddenly enveloped the Delhi airport, airport officials said. The exclusive runway use — the primary runway (28/10) being used only for take-offs while the secondary (29/07) being used only landings - was also stopped due to fog.
According to DIAL, the company that runs the airport, low visibility procedures were put in place by 7.16 am when the runway visibility dipped below 1,200 metres. "The fog came up quiet suddenly when the flights had lined up on the taxiway to primary runway for take off. But when fog came up quickly, there was some delay before the taxiways leading to runway were cleared. Along with this, non-CAT compliant flights blocked the way further," an airline official said.
The planes were lined up on the taxiway for nearly three hours. During this time, only 63 flights could take off or land. Landing was further delayed as ATC and authorities struggled to clear the primary runway.
26/12/07 K Sobhana/Delhi Newsline

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Categories: Airports Dec 2007, Safety Dec 2007