NEW DELHI : The refusal by cash-strapped airlines to spend on expensive pilot training, as well as the lack of equipment at airports are key reasons for the routine disruption of hundreds of flights whenever there is winter fog in north India, aviation experts and officials said.
The directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) says airlines must train an “adequate” number of pilots to land in fog, but does not give a number. This is used by some airlines to avoid high training costs, an airline official said, requesting anonymity.
Training programmes, such as the CAT IIIB certification course for flight crew, can cost up to ₹7 lakh per pilot. The CAT IIIB instrument landing system allows aircraft to land with a runway visual range of up to 50m and a decision height of 15m.
