29 October 2026 | News and context
At a glance
- The Civil Aviation Ministry held its first fog-preparedness meeting for winter 2026-27; the release was issued October 27.
- IMD expects the fog season from December 15, 2026 to February 15, 2027; this is a planning window, not a forecast for every flight.
- Airlines were directed to provide timely SMS, app and email updates and prepare staffed helpdesks for disruption.
Winter planning starts before the fog arrives
The Ministry of Civil Aviation has held its first fog-preparedness meeting for the 2026-27 winter season, bringing airlines, airports, regulators, weather officials and security agencies into a common planning exercise. The ministry's October 27 release says the India Meteorological Department expects the fog season to run from December 15, 2026, to February 15, 2027. As of October 29, those dates remain ahead. The meeting is evidence of preparation, not a declaration that fog has already disrupted every airport or that a particular flight will be cancelled.
For passengers, the most practical part of the announcement concerns information and assistance. Airlines were directed to provide timely updates through SMS, mobile applications and email about delays, cancellations and revised departure times. The ministry specifically connected those updates with preventing passengers from arriving at airports without adequate knowledge of their flight's status.
Who participated, and why coordination matters
The meeting was chaired by the Civil Aviation Secretary and attended by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Airports Authority of India, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, Central Industrial Security Force and IMD. Representatives of Delhi Airport, other airports affected by fog and airlines also participated. This mix reflects the fact that low-visibility operations involve more than an airline deciding whether to board a flight.
Weather information, runway systems, aircraft capability, crew qualification, air-traffic sequencing, terminal capacity and passenger movement all form part of the operating chain. The release assigns responsibilities across those areas rather than presenting one piece of equipment as a complete solution. A system can be technically ready while another operational condition still limits a particular service. The meeting's emphasis was therefore on coordinated decisions as well as advance preparation.
What airports have been asked to prepare
AAI and airport operators were directed to ensure the readiness of Instrument Landing Systems and Runway Visual Range systems. The ministry also highlighted airside safety, sufficient terminal capacity and coordination during low-visibility conditions. An Instrument Landing System provides landing guidance, while runway visibility information helps inform operational decisions. Their inclusion in the plan does not mean that flights can operate regardless of conditions.
For a traveller, the distinction is useful when reading an airport's general readiness statement. A prepared airport is not a promise that every aircraft or crew can use every available procedure in every situation. The ministry separately addressed airline aircraft and crew readiness. It did not publish an airport-by-airport guarantee, a minimum visibility value applicable to every flight or a list of services exempt from possible disruption.
Airlines must plan aircraft, crews and schedules
Airlines were directed to make qualified crews and compliant aircraft available for low-visibility operations. They were also told to plan realistic schedules and take timely operational decisions. These are preparation requirements for the coming season. The release does not announce that a specific airline has completed every check or that its entire winter timetable has already been revised.
DGCA's role includes regulatory oversight, checking compliance with applicable instructions, verifying aircraft and crew preparedness and ensuring appropriate passenger facilitation. This separates the regulator's oversight function from the airline's responsibility to operate and communicate about an individual service. Passengers checking a particular booking should use that airline's live status information rather than infer an outcome from the fact that a national meeting has taken place.
Weather forecasts and traffic management
IMD was directed to provide reliable forecasts, regular observations and timely weather updates for operational planning. Air Traffic Control and air-navigation service providers were asked to ensure safe sequencing, follow low-visibility procedures and coordinate traffic management. These responsibilities connect weather monitoring with the decisions needed to manage arriving and departing aircraft safely.
The expected December-to-February window is a planning statement attributed to IMD in the ministry's release. It is not a day-by-day forecast for every city or a prediction that visibility will remain poor throughout that entire period. Travellers should check current forecasts and flight information near their actual journey. A broad seasonal expectation and a flight's live departure status answer different questions.
What assistance inside terminals should look like
The meeting placed particular emphasis on prolonged delays and cancellations. Preparations include adequate staffing at check-in counters, airline helpdesks and customer-care facilities. The Civil Aviation Secretary stressed that airport helpline desks should be staffed by informed personnel with the authority to address passenger queries. This is more useful to a stranded traveller than a desk that can only repeat an unchanged display-board message.
Airlines were also asked to ensure that ground handlers have sufficient staff for baggage management, aircraft turnaround and passenger assistance during disruptions. These directions recognise that disruption can affect several stages of a journey at once. A revised departure time does not by itself answer where a checked bag is, whether boarding arrangements have changed or which desk can resolve an individual booking problem.
Re-entry and boarding need their own arrangements
BCAS and CISF discussed safe, orderly passenger movement, including terminal re-entry and re-boarding where required. These arrangements matter when an operational change means passengers must move through parts of the airport again. The release describes coordination for such situations; it does not create an unrestricted right to leave and re-enter any terminal without the applicable checks.
If a disruption occurs, passengers can ask the airline or designated airport staff for the current movement instructions before leaving a boarding area. That is a practical response to the coordination issue identified in the meeting. It should not be read as a substitute for security directions or as a new procedure announced for every airport.
Useful checks before a winter journey
Keep the booking's contact details current and monitor the airline's official SMS, application or email updates. Before setting out, compare the latest flight status with any revised instructions received from the carrier. If information conflicts, seek clarification from the airline rather than rely only on a general social-media report about fog at the destination. The ministry's stated objective is timely information before passengers arrive without an accurate picture.
The October 27 announcement does not set out a new compensation table, automatic refund rule or fixed assistance entitlement for every delay. Those questions require the applicable passenger-rights rules and the circumstances of the booking. What is verified here is a preparation plan: equipment readiness, trained crews, realistic scheduling, weather coordination and properly staffed assistance. Its effectiveness will become clearer when those arrangements are tested during the coming winter.
Primary sources
Ministry of Civil Aviation: first fog-preparedness meeting
Prepared with AI assistance. Editorial responsibility: Ajay Mahawar, Taaza Khabar.
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