GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION
RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. : 4002
TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 30th March 2026
COMMERCIAL FLIGHTS FORCED INTO HOLDING PATTERNS
DUE TO CROSSWINDS
4002. SHRI HARIS BEERAN
Will the Minister of CIVIL AVIATION be pleased to state:-
(a) the total commercial flights forced into holding patterns or diverted from Cochin and
Thiruvananthapuram airports due to...
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. : 4002 TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 30th March 2026 COMMERCIAL FLIGHTS FORCED INTO HOLDING PATTERNS DUE TO CROSSWINDS
4002. SHRI HARIS BEERAN
Will the Minister of CIVIL AVIATION be pleased to state:-
(a) the total commercial flights forced into holding patterns or diverted from Cochin and Thiruvananthapuram airports due to crosswinds exceeding aircraft tolerances during the last three Financial Years;
(b) the resultant financial and aviation fuel losses incurred by airlines;
(c) whether Government or AAI studied the feasibility of intersecting runways at South Indian coastal hubs to mitigate single-runway bottlenecks during extreme monsoons; and
(d) if not, the scientific or economic justification for ignoring this aerodynamic limitation at high-traffic airports? ANSWER Minister of State in the Ministry of CIVIL AVIATION (Shri Murlidhar Mohol)
(a): The number of aircraft forced into holding patterns or diverted from Cochin Airport due to crosswinds exceeding permissible aircraft operating limits was 01, 02 and 07 for the financial years 2023-24, 2024-25 and 2025-26 respectively, while no such instances were reported at Thiruvananthapuram Airport during the said period.
(b): The data regarding financial implications, including aviation fuel losses incurred by airlines on account of such diversions or holding patterns, is not centrally maintained.
(c) & (d): As per the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) Section-4, Series-B, Part-I on 'Aerodrome Design and Operations', several factors influence the determination of the orientation, siting and number of runways, including wind distribution (usability factor) and crosswind limitations. Accordingly, runway configuration is finalised based on these principles, along with consideration of other site- specific factors such as land availability, operational and safety requirements etc.
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