Airlines Must Provide Passenger Facilities During Flight Delays, Says Civil Aviation Ministry

The Ministry of Civil Aviation on Friday has instructed airlines to improve passenger support during flight delays to enhance convenience during disruptions. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation issued an advisory requiring airlines to provide specific services based on the delay duration

For delays up to two hours, airlines must offer drinking water, DGCA said in a social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. Delays between two and four hours will see the provision of tea or coffee, along with snacks or refreshments. For delays longer than four hours, airlines must provide meals, the post added.

This directive follows a meeting chaired by Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu on Wednesday, where he discussed measures for fog preparedness with stakeholders. The minister stressed the importance of airlines notifying passengers about delays in advance and ensuring check-in counters are adequately staffed to minimise travel disruptions.

The meeting also reiterated an earlier rule allowing passengers to exit the aircraft through an airport departure gate in case of extended delays after boarding.

The measures come after severe weather conditions in Delhi led to numerous flight diversions and delays. Fog severely impacted operations at the capital's airport. Passengers, including politicians and celebrities, voiced frustration over prolonged delays due to weather and airline issues on social media platform X.

September data revealed the widespread impact of delays, with 2.16 lakh passengers affected and 48,222 facing cancellations. Airlines spent Rs 2.4 crore on passenger services, while compensation costs totalled Rs 88.14 lakh. The on-time performance of major airlines showed IndiGo at 69.2%, Vistara at 69.1%, and Air India at 68.1%. SpiceJet and Alliance Air had OTP rates of 30.4% and 53.8%, respectively during September.\