Grounded by fog, Kashmir’s winter travel hits turbulence

Srinagar, Dec 19: Seven flights were cancelled, while 10 were delayed at the Srinagar International Airport on Friday, owing to low visibility in Delhi and Amritsar, and “operational reasons”.

As per the data shared by the airport authority, of the seven cancelled flights, three flights scheduled for Srinagar were of the low-cost carrier IndiGo, while two flights each were to be operated by SpiceJet and Air India.

Of the 10 delayed flights, seven flights were of IndiGo, which included scheduled arrivals from Mumbai, Ahmadabad, Bengaluru, Jammu, Amritsar, and Chandigarh.

The delayed flights of Air India Express were scheduled to arrive at Srinagar from Delhi and Jammu.

The Akasa Air flight was to operate from Delhi to Srinagar, but was also cancelled.

As per the data shared by the Jammu Airport authorities, 11 flights arrived in the J&K’s winter capital on Friday, with a departure of as many flights.

Of the 11 flights, eight were operated by IndiGo, two by Air India Express and one by SpiceJet.

The number of passengers arriving at Jammu Airport stood at 1604, while 1459 passengers departed on Friday.

“All safety precautions were taken during flight operations,” the Jammu Airport spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said three IndiGo flights scheduled for Jammu were cancelled on Friday. These included 6E 431, which was to travel on the Srinagar-Jammu-Mumbai route and 6E2293 scheduled to travel on the Delhi-Jammu-Delhi route.

Besides, one SpiceJet flight (SG1610) scheduled to travel on the Srinagar-Jammu-Delhi route was also cancelled.

Between December 3 and 19, over 220 flights of IndiGo have been cancelled at Srinagar and Jammu, owing to pilots not turning up due to roster issues.

In the rest of the country as well, thousands of flights were cancelled, leaving passengers stranded.

The cancellation and delay of flights have mainly been due to bad weather in Delhi and Punjab.

Meanwhile, ahead of the expected wet spell from Saturday, the airport authorities have geared up with men and machinery in place.

Notably, at the 14th General Meeting and Tourism Promotion Event of the Tourist Trade Interest Guild in Srinagar last month, Director, Srinagar International Airport, Javed Anjum, told reporters that the runway at the airport has been upgraded to the Instrument Landing System Category-2 ( ILS-2), which essentially means that even in low visibility, a flight can make a landing.

Anjum had said that the upgradation of the runway was completed in 2024, the results of which were seen even during last winter, “when flights could land in visibility as low as 400 metres.”

Last Saturday, a dry run and preparedness exercise was conducted by the Airport Authority of India (AAI), Srinagar International Airport, to assess and ensure operational readiness in view of the forthcoming winter and snow season, with special emphasis on fog and low-visibility contingencies.