Fog spurs travel woes, delaying flights in Visakhapatnam

An aeroplane landing through foggy skies in Visakhapatnam on Saturday. Dense fog conditions at the Visakhapatnam International Airport have resulted in flight delays from the past few days.
| Photo Credit: K.R. DEEPAK

The Visakhapatnam International Airport has been facing frequent disruptions in flight operations since the beginning of December. On December 14 (Saturday) airport officials said that five flights — four IndiGo and one Air India were delayed by a range of 25 minutes to a maximum of one hour and 25 minutes, due to ‘poor visibility’.

When enquired about the cause of ‘poor visibility’ at the airport, it was revealed to The Hindu that it was mainly due to fog, and also due to dust-induced smog. Meanwhile, pilots are required to view the runway from the centre line, which is crucial for landing in low visibility conditions through the instrument landing system, which provides accurate vertical and horizontal guidance to the aircraft during landing.

“If a pilot cannot see the runway up to 2,500 meters (runway visual range), it is considered as poor visibility. In such situations, the aircraft is diverted instead of landing at the airport. We have been experiencing diversion of flights from Vizag airport since the beginning of this month, due to poor visibility. We expect this situation to continue till Sankranti (mid-January 2025). We have not cancelled any flights so far, but only diverted. On Saturday too, five flights were delayed, but landed after visibility became clear,” said Visakhapatnam Airport Director S. Raja Reddy.

When contacted, Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB) Environmental Engineer P.V. Mukunda Rao said that visibility at Vizag airport was poor due to fog, which is common during winters. However, at times, the foggy conditions are severe and their spread is very slow when the area or surrounding areas are dusty.

“In the case of Vizag airport, it is usually surrounded by industries like Visakhapatnam Port, where cargo operations happen. Also, there is a lot of traffic, construction activities and poor roads that create dust in the surrounding areas of the airport. The dust accumulates in the air. Moreover, Vizag is a bowl-shaped city, with the sea on one side and hills on the other three sides. The department is currently working on a National Clean Air Programme, in association with Andhra University (AU) for clean air in the city. A total of 13 districts, including Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, have been identified for this programme, which will begin shortly,” Mr. Mukunda Rao told The Hindu.

Andhra University Professor Emeritus of Meteorology, Prof. O.S.R.U. Bhanu Kumar, said that fog is nothing but the lower layer of clouds touching the ground. Fog occurs in winter in the areas where water bodies exist. If there are more dust particles in the atmosphere, the fog conditions are severe and may take longer to disperse and visibility may also be poor. When the surroundings are clean and pollution-free, fogs tend to disappear faster, he added.

Director of India Meteorological Department (IMD), Amaravati, S. Stella when contacted said, “Usually, fog conditions develop from 5 a.m. and clear by 8 a.m.. The IMD issues a special bulletin to airport authorities every day on the fog forecast. The IMD has advised people to drive carefully and use fog lights. It has also issued an advisory to the general public to avoid going out unless absolutely necessary.”