Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has said “unruly behaviour” on board planes will not be tolerated and every such incident will be dealt with as strongly as existing legal provisions allow.

In a detailed post on X, Mr Scindia also explained that the disorder at the Delhi airport Sunday was due to “unprecedented fog” that limited visibility for four hours starting 5 am, and “compelled” authorities to shut down flight ops “keeping passenger safety… the foremost priority… in mind”.

The minister’s brief comment comes amid outrage over absolute chaos at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport on Sunday, where heavy fog forced delays and cancellations to over 150 domestic and international flights. The flashpoint was on board an IndiGo service to Goa, where a male passenger – Sahil Kataria – ran at the captain and assaulted him for announcing a fresh delay.

Yesterday, Delhi witnessed unprecedented fog wherein visibility fluctuated for several hours, and at times, dropped to zero between 5 AM to 9 AM.

The authorities, therefore, were compelled to enforce a shut-down of operations for some time even on CAT III runways (CAT III…

— Jyotiraditya M. Scindia (@JM_Scindia) January 15, 2024

“Incidences of unruly behaviour amidst this (lengthy flight delays) are unacceptable, and will be dealt with strongly, in line with existing legal provisions. I would like to assure everyone all stakeholders are working around the clock to minimise fog-related impact…” the minister said.

READ | “Unprecedented Fog In Delhi”: Aviation Minister J Scindia On Airport Chaos

“It is my earnest request to all travellers to bear with during this difficult period.”

Mr Scindia also said the DGCA – the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the country’s aviation watchdog – will issue protocols for airlines, to ensure “better communication (with) passengers to minimise discomfort in view of flight cancellations and delays due to adverse weather”.

READ | Video: IndiGo Pilot Slapped By Flier After 13-Hour Delay, Files Police Complaint

Over the past few days heavy fog and adverse weather have led to multiple delays at major airports across northern India, including national capital Delhi. On Sunday over 150 flights were either cancelled, diverted or delayed, and the inconvenience to passengers continued this morning.

READ | Man Who Slapped IndiGo Pilot Was Sitting In Plane For Several Hours

Apart from the delayed Delhi-Goa IndiGo flight, there was also an Air India international service to Austria that was heavily delayed; like the domestic flight, which was reportedly kept waiting for 10 hours, it was held for hours while passengers sat inside, unable to deplane for security reasons.

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Two students- one from Wanaparthy in Telangana and another from Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh- were found dead in their Connecticut accommodation in the US recently, a family member said on Monday.

The students were identified as G Dinesh (22) from Wanaparthy in Telangana and Nikesh (21) from Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh.

Family members of the Telangana student are clueless about the cause of his death and also of his roommate’s.

“Dinesh’s friends who live in a nearby room called us on Saturday night and informed us about his death and his roommate’s. We have no clue as to how he died,” Dinesh’s family members said.

According to a family member, Dinesh went to Hartford, Connecticut in the US for higher studies on December 28, 2023 while Nikesh reached a few days later.

Incidentally, they were mutual friends of some common friends and became roommates after going to the US.

A member of Dinesh’s family noted that they have sought the help of Union Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy and Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy to bring back Dinesh’s body.

Wanaparthy MLA Megha Reddy has also chipped in to help bring back Dinesh’s body. He called on the family members of the student and comforted them.

Further, a member of Dinesh’s family said they had no contact with Nikesh’s family members as the two went to the US only recently.

Similarly, even the Srikakulam district administration does not have any information on Nikesh yet.

Srikakulam Police Special Branch DSP K Balaraju noted that even the district collectorate did not receive information on Nikesh or his family members.

Expressing grief over the death of the student, Wanaparthy MLA T Megha Reddy met the student’s family members in Wanaparthy town and conveyed his condolences.

The MLA spoke to Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy with regard to bringing the student’s dead body to India from the United States.

The Chief Minister responded positively and stated that arrangements would be made to bring back the body to his native place.

The student from Wanarpathy had gone to US on December 28 (last year) for higher studies, the MLA was informed.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

The passenger of an Air India plane who remained stuck inside the aircraft for six hours has pointed to several factors that sparked anger among people, after several airlines cancelled hundreds of fights due to low visibility in Delhi yesterday.

Another passenger, seen in a viral video of him slapping an IndiGo pilot, has been arrested, the police said. The passenger, Sahil Kataria, was released on bail later.  

Rifka Verma, the Air India passenger, told NDTV today their patience ran thin due to a combination of factors – children getting restless, not getting food, and air-conditioning not working.

“The flight was to take-off at 9 am. It was obvious seeing the weather condition it would be delayed. But they kept giving conflicting information. After 2 pm, when the aircraft was ready, they said they don’t have a crew as that crew has been put on another flight,” Ms Verma told NDTV.

“It was absolute chaos. After they got a crew it was 5.30 pm. We boarded around 8 pm. There was no pilot. I don’t think the ground staff or the crew is to blame. It’s the management, or rather mismanagement… There was no food, only some packets of chips in 17 hours,” she said.

“They are not valuing their customers, and not keeping them informed,” Ms Verma said.

Smooth coordination in Delhi airport broke down yesterday after hundreds of passengers of delayed flights demanded answers from the airlines.

The stressful day also saw the passenger of an IndiGo flight attacking a pilot inside the plane while it was on the tarmac.

Air India in a statement today said it regrets the disruption to operations arising from the last few days’ dense fog in north India, including at “our main Delhi hub, which resulted in some diversions and desynchronisation of aircraft and crew rotations.”

“We are working hard to restore schedules, and sincerely regret the inconvenience caused to our passengers,” Air India said.

Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia today said they have taken steps to avoid similar circumstances in the future.

“Yesterday, Delhi witnessed unprecedented fog wherein visibility fluctuated for several hours, and at times, dropped to zero between 5 am and 9 am,” Mr Scindia posted on X.

“The authorities, therefore, were compelled to enforce a shut-down of operations for some time even on CAT III runways (CAT III runways cannot handle zero-visibility operations). The decision was taken keeping passenger safety in mind, which remains the foremost priority for all in the aviation ecosystem,” he added.

The Union Minister suggested operationalising the CAT III-enabled fourth runway. The regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will release a standard operating procedure (SOP) aimed at enhancing communication and passenger facilitation for airlines.

“This measure aims to minimise passenger discomfort caused by flight cancellations and delays attributed to adverse weather conditions,” Mr Scindia said.