Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Sept 12: Holding a summit meeting like the on-going BRICS summit in New Delhi is not just managing the venue and security arrangements for the VVIPs, but even handling and coordinating the movements of so many aircrafts require deft planning and tightly regulated aviation operation.
Behind the red carpets, ceremonial welcomes and traffic control for motorcades for the arrival in the last two days and departures from Sunday evening onwards by the top BRICS leaders, the Delhi airport authorities are also engaged in tight rope-walking in regulating 35 special aircrafts bringing in the high-level dignitaries, manage multiple airports, controlled airspace and carefully timed movements to accommodate foreign dignitaries without disrupting Delhi’s regular commercial flights.
The operation spans the Indira Gandhi International Airport, the Indian Air Force’s Palam technical area and other airports being used to park visiting aircraft. The CISF, Air Force, aviation authorities, airport operator and other security agencies re coordinating the movements.
For regular passengers, the airport operation begins with processing inside the terminal before they board their aircraft via an aerobridge. VVIP movements are kept separate. Ceremonial facilities are used for senior visitors such as ministers and other high-ranking dignitaries, while the highest-level visitors are handled through the Palam technical area.
The Palam facility allows VVIP aircraft to arrive outside the regular passenger-terminal operation, with the principal and delegation moved directly into a separately secured ground arrangement.
The larger exercise is taking place in the air as well. During a normal VVIP movement in major cities, the airspace is regulated for about three to four minutes to accommodate the special aircraft. With several foreign leaders arriving and departing during the summit, these controlled windows have been extended and coordinated more extensively to provide clear movement windows for the special aircrafts.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has imposed restrictions on non-scheduled flight operations within a 300-km radius of Delhi from September 11 to 13. Scheduled commercial flights are exempt, while special flights carrying BRICS dignitaries and related flights can operate with prior approval.
The restrictions are particularly relevant to non-registered private, light aircraft, whose movements are not part of the regular airline schedule. Such aircraft are being subjected to verification and specific conditions to reduce potential security risks during the summit, the source said.
Scheduled airlines are being fitted around the VVIP movements. Their arrival and departure timings have been adjusted by about 10-15 minutes ahead of the summit, where necessary, to prevent their movements from coinciding with a special aircraft.
If an overlap still occurs, an aircraft may be held in the air for some time or directed to land at another airport temporarily, depending on the traffic situation and operational requirements.
Parking the special aircrafts are another part of the exercise. Besides Palam and Delhi Airport, Noida International Airport, Safdarjung Airport, Hindon Airport and two other airports have been incorporated into the wider parking plan.
The aircraft will also arrive in different configurations. According to the CISF source, around 70-75% of participating countries are expected to bring one dedicated aircraft, while 10-15% might bring two aircrafts while another about 10-15% are expected to use scheduled flights.
Security operations extend to the aircraft once they are on the ground. The CISF official said additional checks are carried out during ground handling, including testing two samples of the aviation fuel supplied to an aircraft, as part of measures to rule out tampering or other security concerns.
The wider airspace has also been tightened to reduce other potential sources of disruption. Flying activities involving light and micro-light aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles have been restricted within a 300-km radius of Delhi during the summit.
At the airport, CISF personnel operate within the aviation-security framework laid down by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, while the Air Force manages the technical-area operation and other agencies handle the diplomatic, intelligence, traffic and road-security aspects of VVIP movements.
The result is a carefully separated system in which dedicated aircraft can be received, parked and moved under enhanced security while Delhi’s scheduled aviation continues around them. Official sources said the movement from the aircraft to the convoy was also planned to prevent the final route from becoming predictable. “Multiple exits and vehicles are kept ready, with the exit ultimately used for the VVIP movement decided towards the last stage,” the source said.
For the agencies involved, the task is not simply to secure the arrival of special aircraft, but to sequence each movement — in the air, on the ground and through the airport — so that an exceptional concentration of VVIP traffic does not interrupt the routine flow of commercial aviation.