A Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) team, led by EK Bharat Bhushan, Director General, DGCA, were at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, reviewing the fog preparations by airlines and airport management Delhi International Airport (P) Ltd (DIAL).
"It was a very tough time for everyone involved since visibility was almost zero between 4.30 am and 10.30 am and practically no operations took place then. However, we received several complaints from passengers that the airlines were not giving out timely or complete information on flight schedules.
We had told everyone that information flow is of utmost importance and the matter will be adequately addressed to ensure that this does not happen again. It will have to be seen whether the airline call centers are suitably equipped to handle passenger queries at such a time," said Bhushan. Bhushan added that he would also be looking into the issue of passengers being made to sit inside aircraft for extended periods of time. While DGCA had received specific information on six Air India flights, there were several other airlines that had breached DGCA's orders. "We received information that AI carried out boarding for six flights when visibility was dropping and made passengers sit inside the aircraft for 3-4 hours. It is possible that other airlines too followed the same practice and we will have to investigate to see who the culprits are. The matter will be addressed with airlines to ensure that it doesn't happen again," Bhushan said, as per a Times of India report. Officials said DIAL had also been asked to pull up its socks on arrangements made for passengers. "This was the first time this season when such large-scale disruption was seen at the airport. Certain issues like inadequate seating have been identified. Even though DIAL has made arrangements for extra chairs, we feel that more can be added. More attention should also be given to food supply and other refreshments for passengers," said sources.
Click here to see the original article>We had told everyone that information flow is of utmost importance and the matter will be adequately addressed to ensure that this does not happen again. It will have to be seen whether the airline call centers are suitably equipped to handle passenger queries at such a time," said Bhushan. Bhushan added that he would also be looking into the issue of passengers being made to sit inside aircraft for extended periods of time. While DGCA had received specific information on six Air India flights, there were several other airlines that had breached DGCA's orders. "We received information that AI carried out boarding for six flights when visibility was dropping and made passengers sit inside the aircraft for 3-4 hours. It is possible that other airlines too followed the same practice and we will have to investigate to see who the culprits are. The matter will be addressed with airlines to ensure that it doesn't happen again," Bhushan said, as per a Times of India report. Officials said DIAL had also been asked to pull up its socks on arrangements made for passengers. "This was the first time this season when such large-scale disruption was seen at the airport. Certain issues like inadequate seating have been identified. Even though DIAL has made arrangements for extra chairs, we feel that more can be added. More attention should also be given to food supply and other refreshments for passengers," said sources.