India has launched its first advanced aviation weather monitoring system, called SkyCast, at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in New Delhi. The system was inaugurated by Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh on May 29, 2026, marking a major step towards improving aviation safety and reducing weather-related flight disruptions.
According to the Minister, India has become the 19th country in the world to deploy such an integrated atmospheric remote sensing system for aviation weather monitoring. He also announced that the next SkyCast facility will be established at Jewar Airport in Uttar Pradesh before being expanded to other airports across the country.
Key Highlights
- India launched its first SkyCast aviation weather monitoring system at IGI Airport, New Delhi, on May 29, 2026.
- India has become the 19th country in the world to deploy this advanced integrated aviation weather monitoring technology.
- SkyCast provides real-time weather intelligence to pilots and airport operators, helping reduce flight delays, cancellations and diversions caused by fog and turbulence.
- The system was developed under Mission Mausam and combines technologies such as Radar Wind Profiler, GFAS, SODAR, Microwave Radiometer and Lidar-based Ceilometer.
- SkyCast can monitor atmospheric conditions up to 3 kilometres above the airport, improving the safety of aircraft take-offs and landings.
- The next SkyCast facility will be established at Jewar Airport, with plans to expand the system to other airports across India in the future.
Real-Time Weather Intelligence for Safer Flights
Dr Jitendra Singh said the SkyCast system will provide real-time weather information to pilots, airlines and airport operators. The technology is designed to help reduce flight delays, cancellations and diversions caused by fog, turbulence and other adverse weather conditions.
The Minister said the system can provide advanced weather alerts within short time windows of around three hours, helping pilots make safer decisions regarding take-offs and landings. This is expected to improve operational efficiency and passenger convenience, particularly during the winter fog season when flight disruptions are common in northern India.
The project has been developed under the Government of India’s Mission Mausam initiative, which aims to strengthen weather forecasting and climate services through advanced technology and scientific innovation.
Advanced Technologies Integrated into SkyCast
SkyCast combines multiple atmospheric observation technologies into a single aviation weather intelligence platform. These include a Radar Wind Profiler, SODAR, Microwave Radiometer, Ground-based Fog Aerosol Spectrometer (GFAS) and a CL61 Lidar-based Ceilometer.
The system continuously monitors key atmospheric parameters such as wind speed, wind direction, turbulence, humidity, visibility and fog formation. One of its most important components is the Radar Wind Profiler, which measures atmospheric conditions up to nearly three kilometres above the airport.
The Ground-based Fog Aerosol Spectrometer helps scientists understand the interaction between pollution particles and fog, an important factor affecting visibility in Delhi. Meanwhile, the Lidar-based Ceilometer tracks the vertical structure of fog and cloud layers, providing valuable information for aviation operations.
Together, these instruments generate comprehensive real-time atmospheric data that can improve runway safety and support accurate weather nowcasting.
Built on Research Conducted at Delhi Airport
The scientific foundation of SkyCast comes from the Winter Fog Experiment (WiFEX), a research programme jointly launched by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) and the India Meteorological Department (IMD) at IGI Airport in 2015.
The project helped researchers better understand fog formation, aerosol-cloud interactions, visibility changes and urban atmospheric processes. Findings from the programme played an important role in the development of the operational SkyCast system.
Officials said the technology will not only benefit aviation but will also strengthen weather forecasting capabilities across India by generating high-quality atmospheric data.
Wider Benefits Beyond Aviation
Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Dr M. Ravichandran, said data collected through SkyCast will support future improvements in weather forecasting models and forecasting accuracy. He added that similar advanced observational systems, including Doppler Weather Radars, are being expanded across the country under Mission Mausam.
Beyond aviation, SkyCast data is expected to support urban weather forecasting, pollution management, transport advisories, disaster preparedness and artificial intelligence-based decision support systems.
With the launch of SkyCast, India has taken a significant step towards building weather-smart infrastructure and improving the safety, reliability and resilience of its aviation sector through advanced scientific technologies.
Source: Ministry of Earth Sciences
