Business Aircraft Ops to India: Military Airports, Special Requirements & Airport Slots
This business aviation blog post is part of a series on operating in Aruba and continues from our last article: “Business Aircraft Ops to India: Permit Considerations.“
When operating to military airports in India – and there are several popular joint use civilian/military airfields open to general aviation (GA) – additional permit, lead time and operational considerations enter the mix in terms of trip planning. Additionally, you will need to be aware of special operating requirements, and the slot process.
The following is an overview of what you need to know:
1. Operations to Indian military airports
While prior permission required (PPR) is not needed for any airport in India, you must obtain a permit from the Indian military for travel to any military or joint use civilian/military airport in India. This is known as an Air Operations Routine Order (AOR), and it is in addition to your Directorate General for Civil Aviation (DGCA) “YA” landing permit. Note that for all AOR permit applications complete passenger and crew information must be provided, along with each person’s address and father’s full name. It’s recommended that AOR permits be applied for at least 15-20 days prior to operation. Only after you’re received AOR approval will DGCA issue your landing permit.
2. Military permit validity
In the case of military permits validity is just +/- one hour. If there are schedule changes impacting your military permit approval, the military must be notified and the permit revised. Note that operating hours for military permit offices are the same as for DGCA and a duty officer is available outside normal hours to deal with urgent requests. Be sure to include the permit confirmation number in Remarks section 18 of your ICAO flight plan or it will be cancelled.
3. Local regulations to consider
For the island of Port Blair (VOPB), in the Andaman Sea, no Chinese nationals are permitted to land unless special diplomatic clearance has been obtained. Airways M300, P570 and UL425 west of India do not require India overflight permits unless the aircraft crosses the air defense identification zone (ADIZ), in which case a permit is needed. Airway P574, east of India, crosses over Port Blair and the Nicobar Islands and requires an overflight permit. In other cases, however, operators may overfly Indian flight information regions (FIRs) if operating over water and outside the ADIZ. Airway L645 to the east of the Indian landmass, for example, does not require an overflight permit even though it crosses over Katchal Island.
4. Airport slot requirements
Airport slots are needed for some airports in India and Mumbai (VABB) is the strictest airport in terms of slot requirements. Other airports requiring slots include Bengaluru (VOBL) and Delhi (VIDP). In India airport slots are issued to confirm aircraft parking. Once your airport slot has been confirmed you’ll have approved parking for the duration of your stay.
5. Slot request procedure
Airport slots are requested via the slot coordinator or the local airport authority. While there’s no special format that must be used when requesting airport slots, your ground handler must submit these requests, via either email or fax, to the slot coordinator or local airport authority. We recommend following up on all slots requests, by phone, to ensure it has been received. While slot request processing time varies, depending on the particular airport, status of your slot request will usually be known within 12 hours.
6. VABB airport slots
It’s always best to make airport slot requests for VABB as soon as schedule is known. VABB slots are valid for -15/+45 minutes, and it’s important to ensure flight plans are filed for approved slot times. When airport slots are approved no confirmation number is provided, and nothing needs to be noted on your flight plan. If you miss your approved departure slot time at VABB, however, you’ll need to re-apply for the next best available airport slot.
7. Additional reading: Business Aircraft Ops to India – Series Index
Note: Links will be updated as articles are published.
- Part 1 – Airport options
- Part 2 – Airport operations
- Part 3 – Ground handling
- Part 4 – Additional services and operating costs
- Part 5 – Fuel and security
- Part 6 – CIQ
- Part 7 – Permit considerations
- Part 8 – Slots and military operations
- Part 9 – Flight planning
- Part 10 – Weather and additional flight planning information
- Part 11 – Hotel and local area
Conclusion
Note that when traveling to military airports you will need an AOR permit in addition to the landing permit. Additional lead time is needed for such permits, so ensure that you allow yourself appropriate time when traveling to such destinations. Airport slots are required at some large international airports. Note that your parking spot will be known the moment your airport slots are approved.
Later, we’ll discuss flight planning for India and their impact on your trip.
Questions?
If you have any questions about this article or would like assistance planning your next trip to India, contact Christine Vamvakas at christinevamvakas@univ-wea.com.
