The Civil Aviation Ministry has been handed over a list of far-reaching measures by the Roy Paul Committee on air traffic management to tackle the worsening congestion of flights over Delhi and Mumbai airports. The panel’s recommendations include getting the IAF station at Palam shifted to Hindon and freeing the space for commercial flights at Delhi.Making a case for segregating small aircraft and chopper movements from regular flights, the committee has called for operationalising Safdarjung and Juhu airports in this regard.Asked to suggest ways to improve air traffic management, K Roy Paul—a former Civil Aviation Secretary and member of the Naresh Chandra Committee on civil aviation reforms—has drawn up an action plan to decongest the skies by at least 20-30 per cent at both airports. Currently, flights are be held up for at least 15 minutes in air or on the tarmac.At Delhi, the committee has recommended that the Ministry take up with the Government the need to free the area presently with the IAF in Palam. With a large number of parking slots there underutilised, the report suggests that this area be ‘‘surrendered’’ for civilian use. One of the reasons for planes not being allowed to land is the paucity of parking bays at Indira Gandhi International Airport.‘‘The activities of AFS Palam except for VVIP flights may be shifted to Hindon airfield. This will provide the much needed ground space for new airlines,’’ states the report, which is being looked into by an Australian consultant.It has also asked the IAF to free airspace over Hindon for civilian use, a suggestion that had earlier been accepted by the Committee of Secretaries that constitute the Cabinet Committee on Security. The Hindon airspace falls within the 30 nautical-mile zone around Delhi. Broadly, there is a need to introduce the flexible use model in India just like UK and Germany.Significantly, the committee has suggested easing of restrictions imposed due to security at Delhi airport. According to its estimate, the restricted holding pattern over Delhi costs airlines over Rs 6 lakhs a day and the longer take-off routine—it requires aircraft to fly straight for 5 nautical miles—accounts for nearly Rs 4 lakhs per day. The panel has suggested a less restrictive holding pattern by bringing down take-off distance to 2 nautical miles.At both Delhi and Mumbai, the committee has suggested simultaneous use of existing runways. However, it has suggested a safety assessment study to be conducted at the earliest in Mumbai where both runways intersect each other.Given that Mumbai already has helicopter routes for choppers involved in ONGC operations, the panel has suggested separate corridors to avoid regular flights. It has also asked the Ministry to examine the possibility of developing Juhu exclusively for small aircraft and helicopters.This is part of the larger logic to separate regular flight operations from small aircraft and chopper movements like in major international airports. ‘‘This is like allowing slow moving cycle rickshaws on high speed expressways,’’ observes the committee while calling for a small time window in the lean period for these aircraft to operate from the two airports.In this context, the committee has suggested operationalising Safdarjung Airport for at least government and PSU owned aircraft. Other small aircraft taking off from select security-cleared airports can also be allowed to use Safdarjung, it states.