Battle against low visibility takes off in Indian aviation

As we head into the annual winter chaos in aviation—the fog that envelopes large parts of North India in December and January—a feeling of dread begins to accompany all ticket bookings by passengers coming into the region.

- Anjuli Bhargava

Will my flight actually land, and will I catch my connecting flight? How many hours of delay will I encounter? Will my flight take off at all? Is the Delhi airport and other affected airports equipped to handle the mayhem?

Last year, the fog and poor handling by almost all stakeholders led to mayhem at airports in the North, with the capital facing the brunt of it. Delhi, as a major hub for many early-morning departures, leads to a cascade of delays across the country. To manage perceptions more than anything else, the then Union civil aviation minister had set up "war rooms" to tackle this annual menace since there is very little the government can do on its own to mitigate these disruptions. The airlines, aircraft, and ground infrastructure need to come together in near-perfect harmony, almost like in a ballet performance to ensure things run relatively smoothly.

Well, the good news is that after a chaotic and badly managed 2023, things look set to improve this winter. We seem to be getting more adept at fighting this war, or at least the armoury is in place for some squadrons of the army!