- Airport
- Hyderabad RGIA
- Upgrade
- Runway 09R to CAT III
- Benefit
- Fewer fog delays, diversions
- Also new
- Guidance lights, SCADA monitoring
- Announced
- 10 November 2026
Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi International Airport has upgraded the lighting system on Runway 09R to Category III (CAT III) standards, allowing aircraft to operate in much lower visibility. Airport authorities say the move from CAT II to CAT III will reduce flight diversions and delays during winter fog and improve schedule reliability. For passengers, that means fewer disrupted mornings this fog season, though checking flight status on foggy days remains wise.
What the airport has changed
The airport has strengthened the runway lighting system on Runway 09R to meet CAT III requirements and installed advanced monitoring systems along with Stand Manoeuvring Guidance Lights, which help pilots move aircraft safely on the airfield when visibility is poor.
It has also introduced an indigenously developed Programmable Logic Controller-based Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system, which lets the airport monitor and control airfield lighting centrally from its Airport Predictive Operation Centre.
Kadhir Kadhiravan, CEO of GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited, said the enhancement "enables safe and efficient operations during extremely low visibility conditions, reducing weather-related disruptions and improving schedule reliability. For passengers, this means fewer delays, smoother journeys, and a more dependable travel experience."
Why it matters this winter
North Indian airports get most of the fog-season attention, but Hyderabad also sees winter mornings with poor visibility that trigger delays, holding and occasional diversions. CAT III capability on the main runway gives airlines more room to keep operating when visibility drops, instead of holding or diverting to another city.
If you are flying to or from Hyderabad this winter
1. Early mornings remain the risk window. Fog disruption is mostly a December-January, early-morning problem. If you can choose, late morning and afternoon flights are statistically safer bets in fog season.
2. Check status before leaving home. Even with CAT III, very dense fog can slow operations. Check your flight status before heading to the airport on foggy mornings.
3. Connections need less buffer, but keep some. Fewer diversions mean fewer missed onward connections, but keep a sensible buffer for important same-day plans through December and January.
A note from The Trip Keeper
Anyone who has waited at RGIA on a foggy morning watching the departure board fill with delays knows why this matters. Infrastructure like this does not make headlines often, but it is exactly what makes winter travel calmer for families.
Last verified: 12 November 2026. Source: The Hindu (10 November 2026), with statements from GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited.
A Miranda House graduate and lawyer who traded courtrooms for slow travel. Cheshta travels with the batches we host ourselves, with a soft spot for travelling alongside elders.
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