Edited by Deepali Verma
No flights will be allowed to land at, or take-off, from the national capital’s Indira Gandhi International Airport between 10:20 am and 12:45 pm till Republic Day, or January 26, as notified by the government in a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) issued on the morning of January 19. The report also read that the Delhi airport would be shut where no flights can take-off or land from 6 am to 9 pm on Republic Day.
The NOTAM, however, won’t affect helicopter operations of the Air Force, Army, or Border Security Force, or aircraft under operation by the centre that are ferrying the Governor or Chief Minister of a state.
This partial shutdown of operations at one of the busiest airports in the world is an annual occurrence as the capital undergoes a security blanket prior to the Republic Day celebrations.
The 145-minute closure of Delhi airport daily for the coming week can potentially affect the commercial schedules, especially after weeks of heavy fog led to delays, diversions, and/or cancellations of hundreds of flights. The chaos was widely shared online in video format and the flashpoint was the assault of an IndiGo flight captain by an irritated flyer on the Delhi-Goa service following a delay of nearly 13 hours.
A six-week action plan was announced by the Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia this week to overcome the fog-induced disruptions to the operation of domestic and international commercial flight. Taking to X, Mr Scindia, in a new post, outlined new SOPs for the airlines to “mitigate passenger inconvenience” and set up ‘war rooms’.
Bharat is set to celebrate its 75th Republic Day next week with French President Emmanuel Macron as the chief guest; this marks the 6th time a French leader will attend the Republic day parade as the guest of honour.
To tighten the security blanket for the big day, Delhi Police has barred the usage of paragliders and other flying objects till February 15. The list of banned objects includes hang gliders and microlight aircraft, along with unmanned or remotely piloted aircrafts and drones, and hot air balloons.
Delhi Police’s East District division recently held a mock anti-terror drill at the Akshardham Temple. The exercise designed will evaluate the force’s readiness to respond to diverse crisis situations.
