• Safety concerns trigger clearances from DGCA for defence airbases allowing commercial flights

    In what may ensure more stringent implementation of air safety norms, at least 25 defence airbases hosting scheduled commercial flights have been asked to get safety and operational clearances from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) by 31 December.
    This comes in the wake of complaints that some of the runways at these defence airbases are unsafe for commercial flight operations.
    The clearance requirement from India’s civil aviation regulator follows concerns raised by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the United Nations’ aviation watchdog.
    DGCA last month asked the state-run airport developer Airports Authority of India (AAI), and the carriers operating from these airbases, to complete the certification process by the end of this year, officials with knowledge of the development said.
    AAI manages 125 airports, which include 25 civil enclaves at defence airfields, 81 domestic airports, 11 international airports and eight customs airports.
    “Currently, defence aerodromes are exempted from licencing by DGCA for commercial operations, but they need to get the required certifications by 31 December this year,” said a senior civil aviation ministry official requesting anonymity. Welington Castillo Womens Jersey

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