The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued new guidelines requiring airlines to provide refreshments and meals to passengers facing flight delays due to winter fog. With low visibility already causing delays in northern India this winter, the DGCA has highlighted the cascading effect on airlines’ networks when delays occur on one sector, impacting subsequent flights.
According to a statement from the aviation ministry on Friday, airlines are now instructed to offer certain facilities during extended flight delays. Passengers will receive drinking water if their flight is delayed by up to two hours. For delays between two and four hours, airlines must provide tea or coffee along with snacks or refreshments. If a flight is delayed for more than four hours, passengers will be given a meal.
The aim of these new provisions is to enhance the overall passenger experience by addressing their basic needs during prolonged waiting periods. The aviation ministry further emphasized that these measures prioritize passenger comfort and convenience during unexpected disruptions.
In addition to this, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) has tackled another common issue faced by passengers during winter delays: being stranded on aircraft for extended periods while waiting to take off. The BCAS now allows smoother re-entry for passengers who are stuck on planes due to weather or technical delays, making it easier for them to re-board when flights resume. The aviation ministry confirmed that drills are being conducted to ensure the smooth implementation of this process.
A frequent complaint during past winters was passengers being stuck on planes at foggy airports like Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, waiting for visibility to improve. In the past, passengers were not allowed to disembark during delays because doing so would have required security checks before reboarding, which further delayed flights and caused the aircraft to lose its takeoff slot. The revised BCAS rules aim to address this issue by allowing for smoother re-boarding, minimizing inconvenience for passengers.