In addition to the 23 military airbases that allow civilian airlines to operate, 7 other IAF bases have agreed to support operations
By Vikas Gupta
Defence News of India, 4 Jun 22
The relationship between civil and military aviation is so close that it often goes unnoticed. No less than 23 airports regularly used by civil airlines are Indian Aviation (IAF) or naval bases. Landing in Pune, Goa, Srinagar or Chandigarh, even frequent flyers rarely realize they are on a military base, even if they spot IAF fighters stationed at a distance. Their planes park in what’s called a “civilian enclave,” where passenger facilities like check-in counters and baggage claim are located.
On Friday, the government announced that seven more military airports will increase their contribution to civil aviation by granting labor aid and land to the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
“In line with the government program of “Ude Desh ka Aam Nagarik” (UDAN) and to facilitate the Regional Connectivity Program (RCS), the IAF has facilitated work clearance and handover of defense land by the Ministry of Defense (MoD) at Airports Authority of India at seven locations, namely, Bagdogra, Darbhanga, Adampur, Utarlai, Sarsawa, Kanpur and Gorakhpur,” a statement from the Ministry of Defense said.
The AAI will now use these IAF airfields to operate civil flights under the RCS UDAN program. The Department of Defense is giving away about 40 acres of land for the development of civilian terminals and airfield infrastructure needed to begin RCS flights, the Department of Defense said.
“Additionally, the IAF is also in the process of releasing defense land for the expansion of civilian airports at six locations, in addition to those covered by the RCS, viz. Srinagar, Thanjavur, Chandigarh, Leh, Pune and Agra. This will facilitate the expansion of existing terminals and facilities to accommodate increased passenger and cargo infrastructure,” the MoD said.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) believes that with new airlines flying to new destinations in India’s aviation boom, it makes economic sense to create “civilian enclaves” within existing military airfields, rather than spending 500 to 600 crore rupees to build a seperate. airport.
The IAF agreed without complaint when that meant including only a few civilian flights a day. But now, with many scheduled airlines scrambling for business, there is growing friction between the IAF’s military demands and the IAA’s need to provide infrastructure to many other airlines, all claiming more operating time and better civilian facilities.
Newer and larger airliners place newer and greater demands on military airfields. Instead of the 6,000 foot long runways at many IAF bases, today’s jumbo jets need 7,500 feet. And the aprons (parking areas in front of the terminals) that housed two previous-generation aircraft now need to be expanded to accommodate three or four larger modern aircraft.
IAA officials complain, off the record, that the growth of civil aviation is being held back by the IAF’s reluctance to make space for civilian operations. They cite examples like Pune, which is both a home base for the IAF’s frontline Sukhoi-30MKI fighters, as well as a fast-growing civilian traffic hub. The IAF has only partially granted airline requests for landing and take-off slots, as morning and evening schedules that suit passengers clash with Su-30MKI fighter training schedules.
Air traffic controllers are another sore spot: the IAF says its ATCs are overworked just for fighter training. With restrictions on the length of service of an ATC, the IAF does not have enough manpower to extend the hours of operation for civilian traffic.
