Get ready for flight delays this winter

21 November,2010 07:38 AM IST |   |  Bipin Kumar Singh

It's not just delays due to fog that will make your plane journey uncomfortable this coming winter, but also the fact that you will not receive any compensation for delays


It's not just delays due to fog that will make your plane journey uncomfortable this coming winter, but also the fact that you will not receive any compensation for delays. This, because the rulebook of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) states that airlines are exempted from granting compensation to passengers due to delays caused by meteorological conditions.

Fifty six Delhi-bound flights leave from, and 54 flights arrive in Mumbai every day; the largest number for any sector in the country. But with the onset of winter, flights have started getting delayed due to poor visibility, both in the morning and afternoon slots. Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) spokesperson Manish Kalghatgi agreed, admitting that the average flight delay was about "45 minutes" on Saturday.

"Due to visibility issues, both take-off and landing at the national capital have been affected," said an Air Traffic Control (ATC) official on condition of anonymity.

u00a0"My flight to Delhi was delayed by an hour and 15 minutes. I was told that it was due to poor visibility in Delhi," said Mahendra Kumar, 27, a software engineer from Delhi who came to Mumbai for a meeting on Thursday.

The DGCA recently decided to allow flight operations even when visibility was down to 125 metres. Last year, the visibility standard was 150 metres. "It is easy to assume that flights can operate in such conditions, but on the ground, things are entirely different. Delays will now increase, specially between December and January, when winter is at its peak," added a Delhi ATC officer, on condition of anonymity. Sectors like Jaipur, Chandigarh, Patna, Lucknow, and Ranchi are facing the same problem.

Passengers have their own list of demands. National Vice president of the Air Passengers Association of India (APAI), Milan Zatakia said, "News on delays should be communicated to passengers in advance if the flight is rescheduled or if it is delayed. But that's not happening. Airlines charging high fares from passengers should ensure better service, but with lax rules, they can afford to flout guidelines on a regular basis. We get at least sixty to seventy complaints related to flight delays every week, but there is no strict monitoring."

What the rulebook says
According to DGCA rules that came into force on August 15, passengers are entitled to Rs 2,000 compensation for a 2-hour delay and Rs 4,000 for a 4-hour delay, except in case of political instability, natural disasters, civil war, insurrection or riot, government regulation or order affecting the aircraft and meteorological conditions, among others.

Last winter, low visibility procedures were implemented at IGI airport, Delhi between January 1 and 28 and it was found that out of 4,615 flights, 3,726 were on time, 200 were diverted, 339 cancelled and 350 rescheduled.

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Flight delays winter season news Mumbai