BENGALURU: The state government is currently in a stalemate with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) authorities, stemming from the latter’s insistence on applying height restrictions for buildings within 20-km radius around the HAL Airport. While Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on April 24 sought the intervention of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh into the matter, pilots are split regarding the necessity of such a restriction.
The contention surrounds the GSR 751(E) directive issued by the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) back in 2010, which states, “No structure shall be constructed or erected, or any tree planted or grown on any land within a radius not exceeding 20 km from the Aerodrome Reference Point of the civil and defence aerodromes.”
The MoCA’s directives are, however, not definitive. In the case of defence airports like the HAL’s, no-objection certificates (NOCs) for construction can be granted from the relevant officers as per their discretion. In a letter written by Shivakumar to Singh on April 21, the former said the HAL had been imposing “excessive restrictions” that were detrimental to the development of Bengaluru, the airport being situated in a core area of the city.
Captain (retd.) Gurudath Kavalu, who has flown in and out of HAL Airport multiple times in his career, said, “Nobody should be questioning the decision making [of HAL officials]. They are flying SEPECAT Jaguars and Mikoyan MiG-29s around the airport. If they deem the restrictions crucial to their operations, we must respect it.”
President of Air Lines Pilots Association (ALPA), India, Captain Sam Thomas, however, believes that the restrictions are redundant and outdated. “There should be concrete reasons behind such restrictions. A while ago, they (HAL) asked the Karnataka Golf Association (KGA) to switch off their floodlights. Under what authority didi they do it, when all over the world there are golf courses next to airports?” he asked.
Captain Thomas, who alluded to the viable operations of airports surrounded by high-rises (like Hong Kong International Airport, for instance), said that operationally, having buildings in close proximity to an airport poses little to no threat, especially in modern aviation. “Flights operate through particular channels or corridors. The restriction is part of a very old rule. For civil and military aircraft alike, there is no scientific reason for this rule to exist,” he said.
Following Shivakumar’s meeting with Singh, HAL is yet to respond officially.