Kolkata: The city airport experienced fog-related flight disruptions on Wednesday morning, when there should not have been any. Airport sources said a critical instrument that measured the visibility in the middle of the runway had developed a snag. That, in turn, led to downgrading of the category of instrument landing system at the airport from CAT III-B, which allows flights to operate even in extremely low visibility, to CAT I that needs considerably higher visibility for operations.
With no clarity on when the middle runway visual range (mid-RVR) would be operational again, airlines are worried about more disruptions in the next couple of months. For flyers, this could mean huge delays and crowding in the terminal during the busy winter holiday season.
“The airport meteorology department is the custodian of the RVR equipment. It became unserviceable last month and we had immediately asked them to repair it. We had a lengthy meeting with the Met director who said he had informed his seniors in Delhi about the matter and was trying his best to repair or replace the equipment at the earliest. But until it is repaired, we may face problems in the coming weeks as well,” said a senior airport official.
