First time this winter, fog in Pune disrupts flight schedules

Pune: For the first time this winter, poor visibility caused by heavy fog over the city led to disruption of the early morning flight schedule at the Lohegaon airport on Thursday.
"One flight was diverted to Mumbai while two were delayed by two to three hours. The remaining six of the total nine flights, scheduled for the morning slots between 5.45am and 8am, operated with marginal delays of 15 to 20 minutes," an Airport Authority of India (AAI) official told TOI.
Flying restrictions prevail for civilian flights between 8am and 10.30am every day to facilitate the Indian Air Force's (IAF) low flying exercises. The airport is part of the IAF's strategically vital Sukhoi Mk-1 fighter base. Civilian flight operations resume after 10.30 am.
The flights slotted in the early morning hours cater to destinations like Nagpur, Hyderabad, Chennai, Delhi and Bangalore.
"Visibility was as low as 1,500 mtrs at 6.30am as against the 2,400 mtrs, which is normally required for landing or take-offs," the AAI official said. "Much also depends on the flying experience of the pilot concerned. A more experienced and senior pilot can manage landings or take-offs at visibility levels lesser than 2,400 mtrs." he added.
31/12/10 Vishwas Kothari/Times of India

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Categories: Airports Dec 2010