- विज्ञापन -
Low visibility caused by heavy smog following Diwali significantly disrupted flight operations at Shri Guru Ram Das Jee International Airport, leading to the diversion of three flights—one international and two domestic—to Chandigarh due to poor visibility this morning.
On Saturday morning, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Amritsar reached 325, categorizing it as ‘very poor.’ The dense fog also affected runway visibility.
A flight from Dubai that was set to arrive at 7:40 am, along with domestic Vistara flights from Mumbai and Hyderabad planned for 7:55 am and 11:15 am, respectively, had to be redirected to Chandigarh.
Airport director Sanjeev Agarwal explained, “The runway visual range (RVR) did not meet the pilots’ requirements. Visibility improved by noon, and all diverted flights returned to the airport by 1:20 pm, after which operations returned to normal.”
Passengers experienced inconvenience due to the unexpected flight diversions. Airline representatives stated they provided necessary assistance to passengers at Chandigarh airport and arranged onward travel for those affected. Nonetheless, many passengers voiced their frustration over the sudden change.
Airport officials indicated that the ongoing pollution crisis might continue to impact air traffic in Amritsar. Even though the airport has a CAT-III system that supports aircraft landings and take-offs in low visibility, pilots still require a certain runway visual range, as noted by Agarwal. He mentioned that severe air pollution from Diwali firecrackers, stubble burning, and adverse weather conditions posed significant challenges for landing at the Amritsar airport.
