'War rooms at airports': Jyotiraditya Scindia announces new rules over flight delays

In a post on X, Scindia outlined new SOPs, or standard operating procedures, issued to airlines to "mitigate passenger inconvenience".

In addition to these, the Union Minister said the Centre had daily reports from all six metro airports, as well as reports on the implementation of Directorate General of Civil Aviation directives.

"'War rooms' will be set up by airports and airline operators at all six metros to address any issues with regard to passenger inconvenience with immediacy," he said, "Sufficient CISF (Central Industrial Security Force, which handles security at airports) manpower will be ensured round-the-clock."

Scindia said Runway 29L at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport had been made CAT III operational, allowing it to handle take-offs and departures even during dense fog scenarios.

He said Runway 10/28 - also with CAT III status - would be made operational soon; the runway, the airport's oldest runway was shut last year, after the G20 Summit was held in Delhi, for maintenance.

On Monday, Scindia issued a strong warning to ‘unruly passengers’ after a passenger slapped the co-pilot of a Delhi-Goa IndiGo flight.

The incident occurred amid widespread flight delays and cancellations caused by fog.

"It is my earnest request to all travellers to bear with us during this difficult period. All stakeholders are trying their best to minimize passenger inconvenience. Incidences of unruly behaviour amidst this are unacceptable and will be dealt with strongly in line with the existing legal provisions," Scindia tweeted.

He had also assured passengers that all stakeholders were working "round the clock to minimise the fog-related impact".

A video of the incident, which has gone viral on social media, shows the accused clad in a yellow jacket rushing towards a co-pilot and slapping him in the face.

The airline, however, stated that the incident is being forwarded to the independent internal committee for suitable action, including the potential inclusion of the accused passenger on the 'no-fly list' by regulatory guidelines.

The incident happened as the IndiGo pilot was announcing a delay in takeoff at the Delhi airport amid dense fog and low visibility.

The accused Sahil Kataria attacked the pilot during an announcement inside the aircraft.

Following the scuffle, Kataria was immediately deboarded and turned over to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).

Co-pilot Anup Kumar complained to the Delhi Police about the incident, after which an FIR was registered in the case.

Subsequently, the passenger was sent to a police station and arrested.

He was later released on bail.

The incident took place amid substantial disruptions at the Delhi airport on Sunday, where as many as 110 flights encountered delays and 79 flights were cancelled on the day, as reported by the flight tracking website flightradar24.

The flights were delayed as much as 50 minutes, adding to the mounting frustration among passengers already dealing with extensive flight disturbances.