Pilots not trained to land in Delhi's fog

Winter is here and so is the fog situation that adds to every traveller's worries year after year. Delhi is the worst-hit, despite crores of rupees spent on installing state-of-the-art CAT 3 system. Ironically Delhi is the only city in India with CAT 3 compliant systems that allow pilots to land in near zero visibility.

But it's not the fog alone that is to be blamed. Airlines facing a severe cash crunch can't afford to spend lakhs on pilots training on the new CAT 3 system.  

Flights are being delayed, connections missed and airlines are even cancelling their destinations.

"This is completely wrong. The airlines should at least inform us," said Madhur, a passenger.

So, why is the same story repeated year after year? 

It costs between Rs 8 to 10 lakhs to train each pilot on CAT 3. It's no surprise then that despite directives from the civil aviation ministry, airlines are resisting the move. With only 1,163 trained pilots in the country the numbers are simply not enough.

"The aviation sector has collapsed. Private airlines are in a catch-22 situation. They are in deep trouble and training of pilots means more money. They are already in loss," said Rajiv Pratap Rudy, former civil aviation minister.

But not all airlines are willing to take responsibility.

"We have 58 crews which are equipped for landing in CAT 3 conditions. Unfortunately everything slows up because of the weather," said 
Captain Jack Eckle, operations head, SpiceJet.

The government has now decided to put its foot down. All airlines have been ordered to have pilots trained on CAT 3 during low hours in Delhi. It's something that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will personally oversee. 

"What is needed is that all the players should act more cohesively. Airlines have to keep their passengers informed and everyone should coordinate more," said K Gohain, former Director General, Ministry of Civil Aviation.

But will it be enough? And will change finally come through?