Advanced aviation weather system launched at IGI

New Delhi: SkyCast, an advanced integrated aviation weather intelligence and nowcasting facility, was launched at Indira Gandhi International Airport on Friday.

Calling it India’s first “SkyCast System”, Union minister of state for science and technology and earth sciences Jitendra Singh said only 18 such advanced systems exist across the world so far, and India has now become the 19th in the world to install this integrated atmospheric remote sensing system for aviation weather monitoring.

After IGI Airport Delhi, the second such facility will come up at Jewar Airport, followed by expansion to other airports across India, he said. Singh said passengers can look forward to a future where flight disruptions caused by fog and turbulence will significantly reduce.

The minister said the system will provide advance alerts to aircrew and pilots even within short time windows of around three hours, enabling them to decide the safest time for landing and avoid unnecessary diversions, cancellations and delays. The minister said India is moving towards an era of “fog-free flights” through scientific innovation and advanced weather technologies.

Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), the airport operator, said SkyCast is a next-generation aviation meteorological platform that integrates advanced remote sensing technologies, atmospheric profiling systems and intelligent nowcasting tools to continuously track rapidly evolving weather conditions that may impact flight operations.

The facility enables continuous, real-time monitoring of critical atmospheric parameters, including temperature and humidity profiles, water vapour density, cloud liquid water content, wind speed and direction, vertical wind structures, and near-surface high-resolution wind observations. The system is capable of assessing atmospheric conditions from the surface up to nearly 10 km altitude for thermodynamic profiling and several kilometres for wind observations. “This significantly enhances the ability of meteorologists and aviation stakeholders to accurately track and respond to rapidly changing weather systems,” said DIAL.

Videh Kumar Jaipuriar, CEO-DIAL, said, “Weather can change very quickly, and having access to accurate, real-time information makes a real difference on the ground and in the air. This system will help our teams, pilots and air traffic controllers make quicker, more informed decisions, ultimately ensuring smoother and safer journeys for passengers.”

Officials said the scientific foundation of SkyCast comes from the Winter Fog Experiment (WiFEX), jointly initiated by IITM and IMD under the ministry of earth sciences at IGI Airport in 2015.