Union Science and Technology Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh announced on Friday, 29 May 2026 that India has joined a select group of nations capable of enabling air flights unaffected by fog or turbulence, crediting the achievement to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).

Context

The minister's post declared: 'India joins elite club of nations seeking Air Flights, unaffected by fog or turbulence!' The announcement positions India alongside a handful of advanced nations that have operationalised high-precision meteorological systems capable of real-time fog nowcasting and turbulence alerts for aviation. Both IMD and MoES were specifically credited in the post.

Fog-related disruptions have historically caused significant delays and diversions at major Indian airports, particularly during the winter months at hubs such as Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport. The ability to forecast and navigate around these hazards in real time represents a meaningful step forward for Indian civil aviation.

Policy Backdrop

IMD has been on a phased modernisation trajectory spanning several decades, beginning with the installation of Doppler Weather Radars from the late 1990s onward to improve detection of severe weather events, including aviation hazards. These upgrades have been progressively integrated with satellite data and numerical weather prediction models to sharpen forecast accuracy.

MoES, which administers IMD, has driven this infrastructure push as part of a broader science-and-technology mandate to support economic priorities, including the aviation sector. The ministry's investments in observational networks and modelling capabilities form the backbone of the capability now being highlighted.

Stakeholders and Impact

The aviation sector and air passengers stand to benefit most directly. Reduced weather-induced delays translate into lower operational costs for airlines, improved on-time performance, and enhanced passenger safety. India's rapidly expanding air travel market — with passenger numbers growing year-on-year — makes the stakes of weather disruption particularly high.

Airports in fog-prone regions of North India, including those serving Delhi, Lucknow, Amritsar, and Varanasi, are among the primary beneficiaries. The capability also supports cargo aviation, which is sensitive to schedule reliability.

What's Next

Attention will now turn to the operational deployment of the underlying systems across major airports and any formal MoES communication detailing the specific technologies involved, international benchmarking standards met, and the scale of rollout. Statements on technology transfer or collaboration with global meteorological bodies would further clarify India's standing in this 'elite club.'

The development aligns with the government's wider push to position Indian science institutions as globally competitive, and further announcements from Dr. Jitendra Singh or MoES are likely as the system matures into full operational status.