Within hours of the first cancellations at IGI Airport, India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) released an unprecedented ‘Heavy Fog Alert’ covering all airports north of the 23rd parallel. The advisory urges flyers to proceed to airports only after confirming their flight status and to expect extended security and boarding queues as ATC slots are recalibrated.
MoCA’s statement emphasised that Air Traffic Control, ground-handling teams and airlines are “working tirelessly” to minimise disruption but that safety remains the top priority. The ministry also reminded carriers that they must offer free date-changes or refunds when weather causes cancellations—a provision strengthened under India’s amended Civil Aviation Passenger Charter earlier this year.
![Civil Aviation Ministry issues nationwide ‘heavy fog alert’ and passenger advisory]()
For travellers whose itineraries may shift because of weather, ensuring that travel documents remain valid is equally crucial. VisaHQ’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/india/) can expedite new visa applications or extensions if rescheduling pushes a trip beyond the original validity window, and its real-time tracking tools help passengers adapt quickly when plans change at short notice.
Airlines responded with their own alerts: IndiGo published a rolling list of affected flights on X (formerly Twitter), while Air India activated a dedicated WhatsApp helpline and waived re-booking fees on all sectors touching Delhi, Jaipur, Lucknow and Chandigarh. Travel-management companies (TMCs) welcomed the coordinated approach, noting that fragmented communication during last January’s fog crisis resulted in higher re-routing costs.
Industry analysts say the advisory signals a more proactive regulatory posture. MoCA has already asked airports to accelerate installation of Runway Visual Range (RVR) sensors and to train additional pilots in CAT III procedures. Corporations with frequent flyers should monitor ministry channels in real time and encourage employees to carry flexible or fully refundable tickets for North Indian sectors through the winter months.
MoCA’s statement emphasised that Air Traffic Control, ground-handling teams and airlines are “working tirelessly” to minimise disruption but that safety remains the top priority. The ministry also reminded carriers that they must offer free date-changes or refunds when weather causes cancellations—a provision strengthened under India’s amended Civil Aviation Passenger Charter earlier this year.
For travellers whose itineraries may shift because of weather, ensuring that travel documents remain valid is equally crucial. VisaHQ’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/india/) can expedite new visa applications or extensions if rescheduling pushes a trip beyond the original validity window, and its real-time tracking tools help passengers adapt quickly when plans change at short notice.
Airlines responded with their own alerts: IndiGo published a rolling list of affected flights on X (formerly Twitter), while Air India activated a dedicated WhatsApp helpline and waived re-booking fees on all sectors touching Delhi, Jaipur, Lucknow and Chandigarh. Travel-management companies (TMCs) welcomed the coordinated approach, noting that fragmented communication during last January’s fog crisis resulted in higher re-routing costs.
Industry analysts say the advisory signals a more proactive regulatory posture. MoCA has already asked airports to accelerate installation of Runway Visual Range (RVR) sensors and to train additional pilots in CAT III procedures. Corporations with frequent flyers should monitor ministry channels in real time and encourage employees to carry flexible or fully refundable tickets for North Indian sectors through the winter months.
