NEW DELHI: The IAF air base in Hindon will soon start functioning as Delhi’s second airport as the Indian Air Force has allowed the civil aviation ministry to use the air base for civil operations.
The decision has been taken especially for upcoming flights under the government’s regional connectivity scheme (RCS) as the Indira Gandhi international airport (IGIA) is already overcrowded. The Air Force is open to allowing airlines under RCS to operate their flights from its air base in Hindon on the outskirts of Delhi, said civil aviation secretary RN Choubey.
The inexpensive air journeys on RCS flights are usually carried out on small aircraft, with 50-100 seat capacity. Under the round-2 of RCS, there is no bar on operations from an airport which is 150 km from an existing airport.
The Hindon air base in Ghaziabad is less than 150 km from Delhi airport. Sources said that the ministry has already started consultations with the GMR Group-led Delhi International Airport Ltd which is managing the IGIA airport.