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The Indian Air Force (IAF) now has 39 of the 53 military airfields and nine Advanced Landing Grounds (ALGs) earmarked for use by civil aircraft—an effort that seeks to enhance regional connectivity and facilitate greater access to remote areas, it said Tuesday.
The Joint User Airfield Scheme would apply to military airfields in Tier II and Tier III cities such as Adampur, Agra, Allahabad, Ambala, Avantipur, Bagdogra, Bareilly, Bhatinda, Bhuj, Bidar, Bihta, Chandigarh, Darbhanga, Gwalior, Gorakhpur, Halwara, Hasimara, Hindan, Jamnagar, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Jorhat, Kalaikunda and Kanpur, Nal (Bikaner), Pune, Purnea, Sarsawa, Tezpur, Thanjavur and Silchar.
Earmarking military airfields for dual use has been under discussions between the IAF and ministries of defence and civil aviation, particularly amid a focus on increasing connectivity to remote locations. Development of dual use infrastructure was also discussed during the Combined Commanders’ Conference in Gujarat’s Kevadia in 2021 and was to be driven by the Department of Military Affairs. As per defence sources, the idea was to ensure maximum outcome with the employment of minimum resources.
It will also apply to military airfields at Jammu, Srinagar, Kargil, Leh, Pathankot, Thoise, Uttarlai and Car Nicobar and boost connectivity to these locations. Some of the airports have been declared for joint use earlier.
The dual use ALGs include those at Pasighat, Along, Mechuka, Tawang, Tuting, Walong, Ziro and Vijaynagar. Majority of them are in the remote and hilly locations in Arunachal Pradesh. Much of China’s infrastructure is being developed along the Line of Actual Control in dual use, including villages and airfields.
Defence officials said whenever the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) approaches the IAF with requests for earmarking certain military airfields for dual use, the IAF gives clearances based on certain feasibility checks it carries out.
“The IAF provides all necessary support to MoCA in terms of defence land and associated infrastructure to facilitate civil operations from existing military airfields,” a defence official said.
The IAF has been providing MoCA with an airport apron wherever it is not available, as well as its own areas for parking and other facilities. Moreover, wherever MoCA does not have dedicated civil terminals, IAF, in coordination with Airport Authority of India, facilitates access of passengers to air force station from where they subsequently board flights.
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