JOIN USDelhi airspace will remain closed for commercial airlines for one and half hours daily for seven days beginning on January 19, allowing the armed forces to hone their flying skills for the Republic Day flypast that would be watched by US President Barak Obama.
The Director General of Civil Aviation issued a NOTAM (notice to airmen) on January 15, specifying the dates and time when take-off and landing would not be permitted at the Indira Gandhi international airport in Delhi.
The airspace will not be available for commercial flights between 10:45 am to 12:15 pm for six consecutive days between January 19 and 24 as well as on January 26. There is no restriction for January 25 and there would not be any flight disruption.
Since the NOTAM was available to everybody in the aviation industry and air traffic controllers well in advance, the commercial airlines should have already adjusted their flight schedules to prevent inconvenience to common passengers, said an Indian Air Force official, insisting that it was a standard practice that happens every year. However, unlike previous years, the duration of flight restriction is almost double this time.
In 2011, when President Pratibha Patil took the salute, the flight restriction was for three days— January 23 to 26. This year, the restriction is for seven days, signifying the complexities in the flying drills that would be showcased to President Obama.
Almost 60 aircraft from Army, Air Force and Navy would participate in the fly past. They include different types of helicopters, transport aircraft and fighter planes. While half of them — about 30 aircraft — would take part in the fly past, the rest would hover around in the vicinity as back up.