New DGCA rule adds to chaos at Delhi airport

New Delhi: A new rule notified by Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for airlines is expected to ground flights even when they can take off in foggy conditions.
The new DGCA rule was meant to make flying safer for us during foggy conditions but what it has ended up doing is ground even those pilots who have the technical ability to fly through fog, adding to the congestion at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport.
It means bringing airlines, all on one level-playing tarmac, those which can fly in less visibility and those who need clearer weather
The DGCA circular dated January 17, 2010, has put Runway Visibility Range (RVR) for Category C aircraft to 150 meters.
It means that carriers like Kingfisher, Indigo and Indian who have trained pilots to take off in visibility as low as 125 meters, and were doing so till now, have to adhere to 150 meter limit. The new rule puts them at par with airlines like Jet, Spicejet who can't take off if runway visibility isn't at least 150 meters.
22/01/10 Anubha Bhonsle & Karma Paljor/CNN-IBN

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Categories: Airports Jan 2010