It's been a long stretch of fog in St. John's. Here's how that affects flights

Why can some flights land in fog, and others can't? It depends on several factors.

3 months ago

Duration 1:20

While some flights have been cancelled or delayed due to fog in the greater St. John's area, the majority has been able to go ahead, says the St. John's International Airport Authority. That's thanks to the so-called CAT III technology. Yet, the system doesn't work for every flight.

For some travellers, the foggy weather in the metro St. John's area over the past week has brought flight delays and cancellations.

Steve Denty, manager for customer experience at the St. John's International Airport Authority, says those impacts have been minimal, though, thanks to the airport's CAT III system or a category three instrument landing system.

"It's a tricky thing when the weather conditions aren't favourable. But overall, I think we've come through pretty well," Denty said Thursday.

That technology allows airplanes to land in little to no visibility, but it still doesn't mean every flight can come in.

Watch the video above for an explanation of how it works, and what it means for airport operations.

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