Kolkata: Kolkata airport on Saturday conducted a dry run on fog to prepare for disruptions caused by poor visibility in the days ahead. Fog-related disruptions usually occur at Kolkata airport between Dec 10 and Feb 10. In winter, flight departures and arrivals in Kolkata are also affected by fog in Delhi, Jaipur, Amritsar, and other airports in north India.
A preparatory meeting on fog was held at the airport on Dec 1 with all agencies, leading to the drafting of an SOP that proved useful during the IndiGo flight delays and cancellation fiasco. The dry run, initially scheduled before Dec 10, was postponed to allow flight operations to stabilise.
Saturday's coordinated dry run focused on two aspects — safety in the apron and operational area, and passenger convenience in the terminal building. In the operational area, the perimeter road was barricaded to stop vehicles from plying around the approach area and to prevent obstruction of signals from CAT-3 equipment in the instrument landing system (ILS). These signals provide critical guidance and voice prompts to pilots for precise touchdown, ensuring safe operations. Vehicular movement in the apron area was also restricted after poor visibility was declared.
In the terminal building, arrangements were made to provide additional chairs for stranded passengers. Travel Food Services, operating food and beverage outlets at the airport, was alerted to ensure adequate stock of food for stranded passengers. "If there is a 90-minute delay, airlines have to provide tea or coffee to passengers. For delays of over four hours, they will be required to provide a major meal," an airport official said.
In the terminal, emphasis was on advance planning and close coordination among airlines, the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Air Traffic Control, ground handling agencies, and other internal stakeholders. Timely dissemination of accurate weather information was highlighted as critical to minimising operational disruptions and passenger inconvenience. Special focus was on ensuring proactive and transparent communication with passengers well in advance regarding flight operations during foggy conditions. "We want the airlines to reach out to passengers early so that they know about the delayed departure before they leave their homes," the official said. Airlines were asked to exchange timely information on fog at other airports that can delay flight departures from Kolkata. The Met department has been asked to provide information on fog at other centres.