Passengers will have the option to avail complimentary rescheduling on
alternative flights or opt for full refunds without penalty through Air India
Fog Care
GURUGRAM : Air India,
India’s leading global airline, is working in close coordination with all
stakeholders and has initiated several measures such as CAT III B crew
rostering, CAT III B aircraft readiness, network-wide airport readiness, tech-enabled
passenger assistance and proactive communications to minimise passenger
inconvenience during the ensuing fog season.
The northern parts of India, including Air India’s primary hub Delhi,
experience low visibility due to dense fog with a potential to have a cascading
impact on flight schedule across the network. India’s aviation regulator, DGCA,
has announced 10 December 2025-10 February 2026 as the official fog window this
season.
Following marked improvements in operations during the fog window last
year, and taking cues from the previous years’ experiences, Air India has further
strengthened its internal SOPs and adopted proactive measures to address potential
fog-related delays and disruptions.
Several initiatives have been put in place to mitigate disruption and
minimise passenger experience during the fog season. These include:
·
Crew Readiness: Air India will
ensure adequate cockpit crew, trained in Low Visibility Operations
(LVO) through CAT III B or specific Instrument Landing
System (ILS), is in place to operate flights during the critical fog window.
This also includes trained crew on stand-by for any exigency.
·
Aircraft Readiness: Cat III B
certified aircraft will be deployed for operations during the fog window at
strategic locations that are prone to fog impact.
·
Station Readiness: Air India
has been working closely with its airport partners and has initiated proactive
measures to minimize inconvenience to passengers during the fog season. This
will include ensuring there are adequate ground support teams to aid passengers
and keeping ready care packages with refreshments and other resources at origin
as well as diversion airports. Airport teams will monitor delays, make regular announcements, and proactively
rebook impacted passengers on alternative flights.
·
Schedule Planning: Flight
schedules have been aligned to minimise inconvenience to passengers on long-haul
and metro-to-metro flights with onward connectivity.
·
Disruption Monitoring: The
Integrated Operations Control Centre and teams at key airports across Air
India’s domestic network will work round-the-clock to keep every flight running
safely and smoothly. This includes real-time met forecast to help prepare for
anticipated disruptions, Safety Risk Assessments for severe weather alerts and
enabling proactive schedule adjustments.
·
Customer Contact Centre Readiness: Dedicated
teams have been set up as part of the Customer Contact team to guide passengers
on fog-related queries. Air India will proactively communicate with passengers to
minimise inconvenience during the fog season. Passengers will receive alerts
over SMS, WhatsApp and email before arriving at the airport and real-time
updates will continue across the Air India website and social channels.
Air India has also
activated its Fog Care initiative to help passengers in scenarios where there
are delays or schedule changes due to situations beyond our control. Under the
initiative, flights that are
likely to be affected by fog, based on met forecast, are proactively identified
and passengers are alerted about any delay or a change in schedule. Passengers
also have the option to avail complimentary rescheduling or opt for full refund
without penalty through Air India Fog Care.
Passengers can check their flight status here. For further assistance, they can contact Air India online or connect with the Air India contact centre at 0116 932 9333