Mumbai: Vistara is ready for take off from January 9. Bookings are already open and trial flights are being conducted. But to complement its preparations, the airline will need a bit of luck and fair weather too.
This is because Vistara is still to receive an approval from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation for low visibility CAT IIIB operations at Delhi.
An aircraft can land in visibility of as low as 50 metres in a CAT IIIB operation. While other airlines are certified for it, Vistara is certified only for CAT I operation, which enables for aircraft landing in a visibility of 550 metres or more.
The minimum low visibility requirement for an aircraft to take off from Delhi is 125 metres.
Vistara's daily schedule includes three flights between Delhi-Mumbai and a flight between Delhi- Ahmedabad with return leg.
Of particular concern to the airline would be the morning Mumbai-Delhi flight which lands in the capital at around 10 am. Poor visibility could lead to diversions.
Normally visibility at Delhi improves around 9-9:30 am and is above 550 metres though on Sunday visibility was below 50 metres for several hours in the morning. This meant not a single aircraft could land or take off and incoming flights were diverted to Ahmedabad and Jaipur.
30/12/14 Aneesh Phadnis/Business Standard
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This is because Vistara is still to receive an approval from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation for low visibility CAT IIIB operations at Delhi.
An aircraft can land in visibility of as low as 50 metres in a CAT IIIB operation. While other airlines are certified for it, Vistara is certified only for CAT I operation, which enables for aircraft landing in a visibility of 550 metres or more.
The minimum low visibility requirement for an aircraft to take off from Delhi is 125 metres.
Vistara's daily schedule includes three flights between Delhi-Mumbai and a flight between Delhi- Ahmedabad with return leg.
Of particular concern to the airline would be the morning Mumbai-Delhi flight which lands in the capital at around 10 am. Poor visibility could lead to diversions.
Normally visibility at Delhi improves around 9-9:30 am and is above 550 metres though on Sunday visibility was below 50 metres for several hours in the morning. This meant not a single aircraft could land or take off and incoming flights were diverted to Ahmedabad and Jaipur.
30/12/14 Aneesh Phadnis/Business Standard
