Archive · 13 Nov 2025
Delhi Airport Trials Advanced Fog Warning System to Reduce Disruptions
Imagine thick fog making it super hard for planes to land or take off at Delhi's big airport, causing lots of delays.
Now, they are testing a new smart system called WiFEX.
This system uses special sensors and computers to guess up to a day and a half ahead when really thick fog might happen.
This helps everyone, like pilots and airport control, get ready and make a plan.
They've also made the airport's landing areas better so planes can land even when visibility is low.
This means fewer delays, faster recovery after bad weather, and safer flying for everyone during the foggy winter months.
Delhi Airport is trialing the Winter Fog Experiment (WiFEX) system to predict dense fog up to 36 hours in advance.
The WiFEX system uses advanced sensors and forecasting models to improve fog prediction accuracy.
Infrastructure upgrades have been completed to meet CAT-III standards for low-visibility operations.
The airport's landing capacity during heavy fog will increase from 15 to approximately 30 landings per hour.
The goal is to significantly reduce flight disruptions and improve operational efficiency during winter fog seasons.
- Who
- Delhi Airport (IGI Airport), in collaboration with IITM, IMD, and AAI
- What
- Is trialing an advanced fog forecasting system called WiFEX and upgrading infrastructure to CAT-III standards.
- When
- Trials commencing this winter.
- Where
- Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, Delhi.
- Why
- To predict dense fog conditions up to 36 hours in advance, reduce flight disruptions, improve landing capacity, and enhance recovery time during low-visibility periods.
- System Name
- Winter Fog Experiment (WiFEX)
- Location
- Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, Delhi
- Developer
- Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune
- Collaborators
- India Meteorological Department (IMD), Airports Authority of India (AAI)
- Fog Prediction Horizon
- Up to 36 hours in advance
- Infrastructure Upgrade
- CAT-III compliant for low-visibility operations
- Improved Landing Capacity
- 30 landings per hour (previously 15)
- Expected Recovery Time
- Within 2 hours (previously up to 6 hours)