Delhi: Intense fog from Dec 17, airport gets new tech
Delhi has had some relief this year regarding weather conditions, but intense fog is set to hit from December 17. In 2016, Delhi had seen "almost two weeks of dense fog" till December 7, said RK Jenamani, director-in-charge of IGIA's met department. December-January is a tough time for flight/railway operations in the north. Several trains have already been cancelled while the IGIA gears up.
New terminal expected to boost performance by reducing load
Till now, there have been no fog-induced flight disruptions this winter, thanks to strong winds due to "two western disturbances" including Cyclone Ockhi, said Jenamani. But with the opening of the T2 terminal, some of T1's load has been reduced. GoAir has already shifted operations from T1(D) to T2, Indigo has challenged the relocation in court, while SpiceJet is yet to decide.
'Follow-Me' system to guide pilots during fog
IGIA has a GPS-based navigation system this time: eight 'Follow-Me' vehicles will guide pilots who have a limited view from the cockpit, especially during fog. CAT-III-certified runways 11, 28 and 29 "will allow landing of compliant aircraft with visibility as low as 50m", said IP Rao, DIAL CEO. Moreover, there will be Master Antenna Televisions and helpdesks at terminals to provide updates to passengers.
IITM researchers develop advanced visibility prediction system
The IGIA also has help from researchers at Pune-based IITM, who have developed a system to predict visibility levels 12-24hrs in advance; currently the airport can predict it only 4-5hrs beforehand. It has been in testing at IGIA since November 30.
Several trains have already been cancelled, suspended, diverted or rescheduled
Meanwhile, the Railways took steps last month itself. It declared 46 trains cancelled during December 1-February 13 due to fog. For 28 trains, the frequency was reduced and another eight partially cancelled. Three days ago, as minimum temperature fell to 13.7 degrees Celsius, as many as 14 trains stood cancelled and 19 delayed, while two others were rescheduled.
