NEW DELHI: With several instances of flights being delayed by as much as 17 hours due to dense fog, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Monday issues SOPs to airlines regarding flight cancellations during adverse weather conditions.

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:

Airlines can cancel flight in case of long delay: DGCA
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, the aviation regulatory body said.

Facilities for passengers
The DGCA also issued Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) Section-3, Series M Part IV “Facilities to be provided to passengers by airlines due to denied boarding, cancellation of flights and delays in flights.”

“The airlines are also required to publish the reference of the CAR on the flight tickets … It is, accordingly, obligatory on the part of all airlines to mandatorily adhere to the provisions of the above CAR,” the DGCA said.
However, in case of Force Majeure events i.e. extraordinary circumstances beyond the control of the airline, the provisions of the CAR are not applicable, said the DGCA.