Clearances for foreign pilots to fly into airports with defence base takes two days; experts feel procedure is outdated and has loopholes
Clearances for foreign pilots to fly into airports with defence base takes two days; experts feel procedure is outdated and has loopholes Corporate honchos from some of the country's leading industrial houses Reliance, Bajaj, Raymonds, to
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GROUNDED: Aviation experts say the airfields have been classified 'sensitive' by the Defence Ministry, which makes clearance for foreign pilots essential. file pic |
mention a few are leaving their private jets behind and getting on to commercial flights. The reason? Getting to destinations like Pune, Goa, Agra and Jamnagar, which have a defence base at the airport, is a nightmare, if the pilot is a foreign national.
Foreign pilots require eight clearances to fly into these sensitive areas and air-charter service providers demand at least two days to get the required permission. (The clearances are required from the Home Ministry, External Affairs Ministry, Defence Ministry, Intelligence Bureau, CID, the Enforcement Directorate, Narcotics Bureau and Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, among others.) Ninety per cent pilots flying private jets are foreigners.
"All the permissions have to come from the headquarters of the concerned establishments the Army, Navy and Air Force in New Delhi and not from the local airport office," said Air Vice Marshall (retired) S Ramdas.
"The procedures are outdated and a blanket clearance is needed for all foreign pilots flying into airports used jointly for defense and civilian purposes," he added.u00a0
Among corporate houses facing problems in flying to Pune are Mercedes, Volkswagen and Bajaj, all of who have their car manufacturing facilities at Chakkan, near Pune. A similar problem is faced while flying to Jamnagar, which has a lot of refineries, including those belonging to Reliance Industries Ltd.
The loopholesu00a0
Aviation experts feel the airfields have been classified 'sensitive' by the Defence Ministry and hence clearance for foreign pilots is essential.u00a0 "Pune, for instance, has the MIG-29s and Sukhoi-30s that the ministry feels cannot be left open to security risks like photography."
"Goa, on the other hand, has Sea Harriers and MIGs," said aviation experts. They all, however, added that photography was easier for a foreign passenger on board (who needs no background check and clearances) than a pilot operating the aircraft.u00a0u00a0
With no easy solutionu00a0 to the problem, private pilot training academies are doing their bit to bring in Indian pilots.
Yashraj Tongia, promoter, Yash Air Limited, said, "We are currently setting up a team of 30 pilots who can be leased to corporates on an hourly basis or on short-term assignments."
Flying high
The number of private aircraft in the Indian corporate sector has risen from about 50 in 2006 to 120 currently. Of the 600 pilots required in flying these machines over 450 are foreigners. These pilots are paid an average monthly package of about Rs 4.5 lakh to Rs 6 lakh.
Wings clippedu00a0
DLF, TVS Motors, GMR Group, Hero Group, Videocon, Reliance Industries, the UB Group, Bajaj Auto, Kalyani Forge, Raymonds Group
