While we have a set procedure for obtaining landing permissions at the civil airfields in India, which normally have a lead time of three working days, it is different and more time-consuming at airfields under military operational control. This is primarily because of the security implications of operating a foreign registered aircraft at a military airport. Among the military airports, the majority fall under the control of the Indian Air Force (IAF), but some locations along the coastline or island territories are under the influence of the Indian Navy (IN).When an application is submitted to DGCA (the Civil Aviation Authority) for the operation of a foreign aircraft at a military airfield, it is simultaneously sent to the respective IAF/IN headquarters with complete information. The application is then forwarded to intelligence agencies for security verification. This process usually takes seven to ten working days. Once the intelligence agencies have carried out a background check, it is routed back to IAF headquarters. Approval is further sought from the Ministry of Defence before a clearance number is issued by the Air Force. This clearance number is communicated to DGCA and then YA clearance as the final clearance for the flight operation.The procedure is laborious and time-consuming to say the least as it has to navigate through a labyrinth of government machinery. Furthermore, since it involves intelligence agencies, it is difficult to keep track of the pending application. However, since our staff has been proficiently dealing with such situations on a day-to-day basis, we can achieve it for our clients within three weeks. It is important to note that crew passport details and the complete flight schedule should be available at the time of submitting the application. Clients are therefore advised to plan their flight itinerary involving a military station well in advance of 30 days.The table below gives a list of military airports that foreign operators normally operate to. The table also provides salient features of each airport. The notes at the end of the table amplify operating conditions at the military airports.Air Force BaseS.No.StationICAORunway Length (Mtrs)Hours of OpsAirport of Entry / ExitRemarks1AgraVIAG274524 x 7Yes2AllahabadVIAL2477Sunrise - SunsetNo3AwantipurVIAW32000200 - 0900 Z(Monday - Friday)No4BareillyVIBY2745Sunrise - SunsetNo5BhujVABJ2515Sunrise - SunsetNo6ChandigarhVICG2745Sunrise - SunsetNo7GorakhpurVEGK2745Sunrise - SunsetNo8GwaliorVIGR2735Sunrise - SunsetNo9JaisalmerVIJR2745Sunrise - SunsetNoExtn. Of Watch on Request 06 Hours10JammuVIJU2043Sunrise - SunsetNoExtn. Of Watch on Request 24 Hours11JamnagarVAJM2545Sunrise - SunsetNo12JodhpurVIJO2745Sunrise - SunsetNoExtn. Of Watch on Request 24 Hours13JorhatVEJT2745Sunrise - SunsetNo14LehVILH2896Sunrise - SunsetNo15PathankotVIPK2745Sunrise - SunsetNo16PuneVAPO253324 x 7Yesa. 1330 - 1630 z Fighter Flying All Daysb. GA Closure 0530 - 1130 z on Saturdayc. GA Closure 0230 - 0930 z on Sunday17SrinagarVISR3658Sunrise - SunsetNo18YelakanhaVOYK2440Sunrise - SunsetNoExtn. of Watch on Request19Car NicobarVOCX27090030 - Sunset (Mon - Friday)0200 - Sunset (Sat - Sunday)NoNaval BaseS.No.StationICAORunway Length (Mtrs)Hours of OpsAirport of Entry / ExitRemarks1GoaVOGO34300230 - 1630 Z (All Days)Yes2Port BlairVOPB34200015 - 1115 Z (All Days)Yes3VishakapatnamVOVZ32000130 - 1630 Z (All Days)YesIndian Coast Guard BaseS.No.StationICAORunway Length (Mtrs)Hours of OpsAirport of Entry / ExitRemarks1DamanVADN18010200 - 0800 Z (MON - FRIDAY)YesNote:
