Explainer: Why Indian airports are unprepared for fog

Every winter, North India’s airports slide into disorder. Departure boards turn red, flights vanish from schedules, and passengers have to often wait through the night. Airlines blame the fog, the authorities nod along, and the cycle repeats. However, fog is not the real problem, India’s failure to prepare for it is.At the centre of this annual collapse is a technology gap that refuses to close: the absence of advanced Category-III Instrument Landing Systems (CAT-III ILS) at most Indian airports. While India’s aviation sector celebrates the growth in aircraft orders and passenger numbers, the ground infrastructure required to keep planes flying in poor visibility remains stuck in the past.CAT-III systems are not a luxury. They are a basic requirement for reliable flight operations in fog-prone northern regions.Role of the landing systemAn Instrument Landing System guides an aircraft to the runway when pilots cannot rely on visual cues. CAT-I allows landings in moderate visibility. CAT-II permits operations in poorer conditions. CAT-III, the most advanced category, allows aircraft to land in very low visibility, subject to strict operational limits.Globally, CAT-III capability is standard at major airports. In India, it is rare. According to official data, only six airports — Delhi, Lucknow, Jaipur, Amritsar, Bengaluru and Kolkata — have runways certified for CAT-III operations. Hundreds of other airports either operate with older CAT-I or CAT-II systems or lack precision landing aids altogether. The moment visibility drops below their limits, flights are cancelled or diverted.The gap in ChandigarhNorth India’s winter fog is predictable, the aviation response is not. The gap is most visible at the Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport. Despite being a key regional hub, the Chandigarh airport does not have CAT-III capability. It operates with basic instrument landing support, which quickly becomes inadequate during dense fog. When visibility drops sharply, as it routinely does in winter, flights are grounded or diverted. Passengers bear the cost, airlines absorb losses, and connectivity takes a hit.What makes this failure harder to justify is that Chandigarh’s need for CAT-III has been known for years. The upgrade has been discussed repeatedly, but progress has moved at bureaucratic pace. The airport’s runway is controlled by the Indian Air Force, meaning any major upgrade requires coordination between civil aviation authorities and defence agencies.Technical clearances, inter-departmental delays and procedural inertia have stalled the project.The Amritsar experienceAmritsar’s Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport presents a contrasting but equally instructive case.Amritsar is among the few Indian airports with CAT-III certified runways. Infrastructure upgrades, including advanced runway lighting and calibrated systems, have been carried out over time. Yet, even Amritsar sees disruptions during dense fog. The reason is simple. CAT-III technology alone does not guarantee uninterrupted operations. Aircraft must be suitably equipped, pilots must be trained and certified for CAT-III approaches, systems must be precisely maintained, and coordination between airlines, air traffic control and ground teams must be flawless.If any link weakens, operations suffer even at CAT-III airports. Beyond major airports, the consequences are far more severe.Stalled UDAN Under the government’s UDAN regional connectivity scheme, dozens of smaller airports were revived or developed to link underserved regions. However, as of late 2025, 15 UDAN airports have no scheduled flight operations, including Pathankot, Ludhiana and Shimla.Official reasons include low passenger demand, airline withdrawal, expiry of viability gap funding and operational challenges. But unreliable operations due to weather and limited landing infrastructure quietly influence airline decisions. Carriers are reluctant to serve destinations where fog or poor visibility can shut down flights without warning.Himachal’s caseIn the hill state, the challenge is compounded by terrain. Rapid weather changes, narrow valleys and limited visual approach options make advanced landing systems even more critical. Without them, year-round air connectivity in Himachal Pradesh remains uncertain, no matter how many airports exist on paper.Why the CAT-III deployment is slow As per experts, the reasons are structural. First, CAT-III systems are expensive and complex. They require precision ground equipment, enhanced runway lighting, constant calibration and strict maintenance. The authorities often argue that smaller airports cannot justify the cost.Second, bureaucracy slows everything down. Airports with defence-controlled runways face additional layers of approval. Civil aviation priorities and defence requirements do not always align, leaving projects stuck between files.Third, pilot training and airline readiness lag behind infrastructure. CAT-III landings require specialised training and regular simulator checks. Airlines hesitate to invest heavily when only a few airports support such operations. Airports, in turn, delay upgrades citing limited airline demand. The stalemate suits institutions, not passengers.Most damaging is India’s reactive approach. Fog in North India is not an anomaly. It is an annual certainty. Yet investments are triggered by disruption rather than anticipation. The cost of this failure is not limited to inconvenience. Unreliable air connectivity hurts tourism, business travel and regional economies.

Explainer: Why Indian airports are unprepared for fog

India is lagging behind on CAT-III deployment, and the technology gap refuses to close

Shekhar Singh

Explainer: Why Indian airports are unprepared for fog

India is lagging behind on CAT-III deployment, and the technology gap refuses to close

Shekhar Singh

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