Delhi airport gears up to tackle fog

New Delhi, Nov 21 (UNI) As the winter sets in, the sceptre of fog disrupting flight schedules at the Delhi airport looms large.

Delhi International Airport Private Limited (DIAL) is undertaking several proactive measures to prevent discomfort to passengers during delays and to provide information in advance.

As part of the preparation, DIAL held a series of meetings with various stakeholders such as airlines, ATC, CISF, BCAS, met department, customs, immigration, Delhi police and catering firms to assess the preparedness for the fog season.

''Based on the discussions several steps are being taken inside and outside the terminals and also on the airside to try minimise the impact on flight operations and inconvenience to passengers,'' said DIAL's Chief Operating Officer Ioannis Papastefanou.

A centralised emergency response and interactive centre (ERIC) will be set up to co-ordinate operations during the fog season. The ERIC wil be in direct touch with the ATC, apron control and various airlines and would be fed with real time information, which will be useful for operations during fog.

The meteorological department will also be providing latest fog updates to the ERIC. In addition, a crisis management centre (CMC) would also be set-up to co-ordinate the efforts and manage any unforeseen events.

Representatives from various stakeholders will be present in the CMC. A centralised media centre will also be available to facilitate the media persons.

DIAL will install pre-fabricated tents to accommodate the overflow of passengers, said Mr Papastefanou. The tents will be ire-rateardant and will be equipped with oil heaters, and arrangements will be made to provide tea, coffee etc available there.

Flight information will be also available from additional airline information counters which will be setup at the kerbside.

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