The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Thursday issued show cause notice to Air India and SpiceJet for rostering non-CAT III compliant pilots. The civil regulator issued the notice after more than 50 Delhi airport-bound flights were diverted due to low visibility on 24, 25 December, and 27-28 December 27-28.
According to the DGCA official, the two airlines have to respond within 14 days. The notice is for rostering non-CAT III compliant pilots. According to reports, the Delhi airport has only one CAT III compliant runway and a total of 58 IGIA-bound flights were diverted between the midnights of December 24-25 and 27-28. Reports stated that of the total diversions, 50 flights were diverted (see list) because their captains were not trained to operate in low visibility conditions.”
What Is CAT III Technology?
CAT Instrument Landing System in aviation refers to a type of instrument landing system (ILS) approach that allows for landing in very low visibility conditions, such as fog, rain, or snow. CAT III helps planes land during dense fog and inclement weather conditions when visibility is low. It allows for landings with a minimum visibility of 50 metres.
Under this system, a pilot is guided by the signalling system till 100 feet above the ground, when the runway isn’t in sight. Then the pilot would see the approach and touchdown zone-lighting system.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, DGCA carried out 5,745 surveillance activities with respect to airlines, airports and approved organisations in 2023 as part of its efforts to ensure compliance and enhance safety standards in the aviation space.
The activities included 4,039 planned surveillance and 1,706 spot checks and night surveillance. Subsequently, the findings resulted in 542 enforcement actions, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said in a release on Wednesday.
