No Christmas cheer as fog delays 32 flights at Kempegowda International Airport

Thick winter fog resulted in the delay of several flights at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) on Wednesday.

As many as 32 flights, including 23 departures and nine arrivals, were delayed due to the fog which lasted till about 9am.

While international flights to Paris and London were behind schedule, domestic flights to Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Pune and Hyderabad were also affected.

According to flightstats.com, an online portal that tracks flight movement, an Air France flight, which was scheduled to depart at 2.20am, was delayed for two hours.

“One the visibility improved at around 9am flights movement became normal,” said airport officials.

Fog related delays at the KIA is expected to a routine affair during this week, with the Met Department forecasting foggy conditions until Dec 29.

“Fog/mist would occur in some areas during morning hours. Minimum temperature would be around 15 degree Celsius,” states the forecast.

Facilities available at KIA
KIA has the precision approach runway CAT I intended for operation of aircraft using instrument approach procedures. The precision approach runway of CAT I is intended for a visibility of 550 meters.

The Met Department at the airport has installed a Transmissometer in the airfield at both the eastern and western ends of the runway for determining the exact visibility in the direction of approach.