New Delhi: After facing flak over flight delays and cancellations, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued standard operating procedures (SOPs) for airlines on Monday. Issuing fresh guidelines, the DGCA asked the airlines to publish accurate real-time information regarding delays in their flights due to fog. The airlines have been asked to publish information regarding delays on their official website. Moreover, the flyers should be informed through SMS/ WhatsApp and email about their flight status, the DGCA directed airlines after massive chaos erupted at Delhi's IGI airport.  

“In view of the prevalent fog season and adverse weather conditions, airlines may cancel, sufficiently in advance, such flights that are anticipated to be delayed or consequentially delayed on account of such conditions beyond a period of 3 hours with a view to obviate congestion at the airport and mitigate passenger inconvenience. All airlines shall mandatorily adhere to the above SOP with immediate effect”, the DGCA said.  

DGCA Fresh SOPs to Airlines 

In view of the fog-induced disruptions and adverse weather conditions at various airports including Delhi Airport causing delays, cancellations and inconvenience to passengers, the following Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are mandated in public interest. Airlines shall be required to publish accurate real-time information regarding delays of their flights, which shall be published on:- 

• The respective website of the airline.
• Through advance information to affected passengers by SMS/ WhatsApp and email.
• Display of updated information regarding flight delays to passengers waiting at the airports.
• Appropriate sensitization of the airline staff at the airports to suitably communicate with and continuously guide & inform the passengers about flight delays.   

The SOPs come hours after Union Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia shared an action plan to tackle flight delays and cancellations. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Scindia said that several measures have been taken to avoid similar circumstances in the future. He also warned unruly passengers and asked them to bear with the situation as ‘all stakeholders are working to minimise inconvenience’.

"It is my earnest request to all travellers to bear with us during this difficult period. All stakeholders are trying their best to minimize passenger inconvenience. Incidences of unruly behaviour amidst this are unacceptable, and will be dealt with strongly in line with the existing legal provisions. I would like to assure everyone that all stakeholders are working round the clock to minimise the fog-related impact", tweeted Scindia.  

Chaos at IGI Airport After Flight Delays, Cancellation

Several videos have also been doing rounds on social media wherein a large crowd can be seen outside Terminal 3 of the IGI, with a section of people shouting 'Shame, Shame'. For the unversed, dozens of flights were delayed due to dense fog and bad weather conditions in the national capital Delhi, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded at the airport for several hours. Officials confirmed that a dozen flights to Delhi had to be diverted due to unfavourable weather conditions. As per flightradar24, 245 departures have been delayed from the Delhi airport today. Besides, nearly 100 arrivals were running behind their scheduled time.