The proposed second runway at the Bangalore
International Airport (BIA) is likely to have an adverse impact on the Indian
Air Force (IAF) pilots’ training activities at its Yelahanka airbase here.
The IAF and BIA operate in close proximity and the
distance between their existing runways is around 5.3 nautical miles (NM),
where 1 NM equals to 1.86 km. The proposed runway at the airport will bring
them even closer. The distance between extended centre line of the BIA and the
flying circuit at the Yelahanka base is 2.85 NM, while the distance between the
extended centre line at the proposed second runway and the flying circuit at
the air base will be only 1.82 NM. The concern expressed in some quarters is
that the reduced distance between area of operations of two entities will also
mean reduction in the airspace safety margin along with high traffic density.
The BIA is one of the busiest airports in the
country, while at Yelahanka, IAF trains its pilots on AN-32 and Dornier
transport aircraft. Also, helicopter pilots are trained here all through the
year. In fact, the rising air traffic has put pressure all the three airports
-- Yelahanka, BIA and HAL, which now operates only private aircraft.
Keeping that concern in view, the Ministry of Civil
Aviation (MoCA) has constituted a coordination committee including BIA, IAF and
HAL airports. “The agenda has been to discuss challenges and issues to have an
integrated airspace management approach in the region. The committee will look
into all the operational and safety aspects,” said a Bangalore International
Airport Limited (BIAL) official. The BIAL official said the second runway
location on the southern side was always a part of the master plan and has been
approved by MoCA. Currently, it is in the planning stage and is likely to be
completed in the first quarter of 2015, the official added.
The IAF is watching the developments keenly. “The
new runway will reduce the distance, but there is no problem as we have proper
Standard Operating Procedures put in place,” Air Marshal Rajinder Singh, Air
Officer Commanding-in-Chief of IAF Training Command said. According to the
Training Command Chief, the Air Force Military Liaison (AFML) Unit established
at the BIA is helping in expediting the clearances for take-off and landings at
Yelahanka and number of radars are also put in place for efficient airspace
management between them.
During the recent meeting to discuss the issue of
second runway, the BIA officials are said to have assured IAF that its
activities will not be impacted. A high level committee consisting of officers
from IAF, BIAL, Airports Authority of India, Ministry of Civil Aviation and
other agencies are currently looking into the possible impact of second runway
on IAF activities.
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