‘Publish accurate real-time information, inform passengers’: DGCA issues SOPs to airlines amid flight delays, cancellations

New Delhi [India], January 15 (ANI): Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia held an important meeting on Monday in which all government officials of his ministry, including DGCA, BCAS, and the Airport Authority of India (AAI), attended.
Scindia directed all the officials to work on being better prepared for such unprecedented incidents. He asked for SOPs to be issued to airlines in this regard.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) on Monday, instructing all scheduled airlines to comply with it regarding flight delays and cancellations.
As per the SOPs, airlines shall be required to publish accurate real-time information regarding delays of their flights on the respective website of the airline and provide advance information to affected passengers by SMS, WhatsApp and email.
The Civil Aviation Regulator, in its SOP, also mentioned that there should be display of updated information regarding flight delays for passengers waiting at airports.
"There should be appropriate sensitization of the airline staff at the airports to suitably communicate with and continuously inform the passengers about flight delays," the SOP stated.
It also mentioned that 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," SOP stated.
Also, Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Monday said that Delhi Airport has been asked to expedite the operationalization of its CAT III-enabled fourth runway after re-carpeting, to the satisfaction of the civil aviation regulator, DGCA for final approval.
The airport in the national capital already has a CAT III-enabled runway. A CAT III landing is a precision approach that allows aircraft to land safely in low-visibility conditions. (ANI)