Dos & Don'ts of Operating to/fro India

As India is witnessing the fastest growth in the world, general aviation is a new sector in India with ample growth opportunities. The demand for business jets is high as they can fly to destinations not served by the scheduled airlines. General aviation/business aviation (GA/BA) operators routinely travel to India for both business and tourism.

The following is an overview of what you need to know while operating to/fro India.

Operational Tips for Travelling to India

Permits & Slots: All GA/BA aircrafts operating to/fro India require landing permits, regardless of the type of flight from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The official permit lead time is three business days for stops and one business day for over flight or technical stops, including fuel uplift and crew rest. The lead time for military airport landing permits usually runs 15 to 20 business days.

Please note and be aware that if you’re arriving from a Prior Reference Country (PRC) — such as China, Afghanistan, Pakistan or Somalia, North Korea, etc— then it requires seven business days to process and secure the landing permission stops and over flight permits require three business days. The DGCA is strict on lead times for operations coming from PRC countries.

The minimum notice period requirement may not be insisted upon in the case of medical or ambulance or relief mission flights — processed in the same day in just couple of hours and shall be obtained without any delay provided required documents and papers in hand.

Permit application for all military and VVIP flights have to be made through the embassy/consulates of the respective country along with the nod from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

Permit application for aircraft carrying and proceeding for remote sensing equipments, aerial surveys/photography, vision cameras are required to be made minimum two to three weeks in advance with full particulars. Permits for such aircraft are subject to special security clearance from the Ministries of Defence and Home Affairs. Please contact your handling agents to assist you with the updates.

Popular destination airports in India for GA/BA flights: Some of the most popular destination airports in India includes Delhi (VIDP) as administrative centre and country’s capital city; Mumbai (VABB) as commercial capital for business activities;, Bengaluru (VOBL) as IT hub; Varanasi (VIBN), Amritsar (VIAR) , Agra (VIAG), Udaipur (VAUD), Jaipur (VIJP), Guwahati (VEGT), Trivandrum (VOTV), Goa (VOGO) for tourism activities; and Chennai (VOMM), Kolkata (VECC), Hyderabad (VOHS), Ahmedabad (VAAH), Pune (VAPO) as upcoming investment destinations. In addition to increased traffic to major airports of entry (AOEs), we’re also seeing continued growth in movements to joint-use civilian/military airfields. Few joint-use airports with tremendous potential for GA/BA are Agra, Chandigarh, Vizag, Port Blair, Goa, Pune, etc.

Airport operating hours, restrictions and overtime/watch extension: While all the major airports are operational 24x7 including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata – the country’s rest of the is airports are not. Please be advised that even few major international airport entries have certain GA/BA restrictions in place. For example, at Mumbai GA/BA operations are not permitted 0800-1000 and 1730-1930 local all days. At few smaller airports across the country, night operating curfews are a fact of life. Notices to airmen (NOTAM) are also issued from time to time which impact and/or restrict GA/BA movements at particular airfields.

Some Indian airports—but not all—offer overtime to extend operating hours. To request overtime, need to approach the respective airport’s control office at least three business days in advance. If overtime is accepted, you’ll be liable for applicable airport overtime/watch extension charges. Please contact your handling agent to assist you with updates.

GA/BA flights operations & parking considerations: The most challenging airport in India for GA parking is Mumbai (VABB). This location has a 72-hour GA parking limitation with longer-term parking generally not available. If you want to stay at VABB more than three days, you’ll need to reposition your aircraft either to Ahmedabad (VAAH) or Aurangabad (VAAU). Chandigarh (VICG), Goa (VOGO), Agra (VIAG) and Pune (VAPO) are other airports with parking limitations. Be mindful that many Indian airports implement temporary parking restrictions from time to time. It’s always recommended to confirm all parking arrangements well in advance through your preferred handling agent.

At few smaller airports there is usually just one or two parking bays allotted for GA/BA operations. Hangar space for GA/BA operations is difficult to secure in India. Major airports like Delhi and Mumbai have few hangars that are either owned by national carrier Air India or privately owned. Possibilities of securing bays for GA/BA operators on a case-by-case basis is subject to availability. Please contact your handling agent well in advance for the needful.

Guwahati (VEGT), the gateway of North East, is an exception in this regard. A new hangar is under construction at VEGT and this will be available to GA in the coming days. Guwahati can be promoted for frequent use by GA/BA. Customs, immigration and quarantine overtime options are available too.

Be aware that foreign-registered aircraft may only remain in India for a maximum of 14 consecutive days. If you need to stay longer and do not have an official invitation from the government or any official confirmation from the local invitee, you will need to depart the country by the 14th day and return (on the same day) to start the 14-day clock over again. Preferred options for reposition and return flights include Sri Lanka and Nepal as landing permit processes have short lead times in those countries. Be mindful, however, that when repositioning outside the country, you’ll need a new landing permit to return to India.

On arrival Visas (TLP/TLF): At certain airports – including Delhi (VIDP), Mumbai (VABB) and Kolkata (VECC) – it may be possible to obtain crew visas on arrival as per the notification in the website of the Bureau of Immigrations (BoI). You need to check and verify with your handling agents for necessary updates. Note, however, that these visas are only valid for up to 72 hours. Our recommendation is that crew members always obtain appropriate visas prior to arrival, to allow maximum operational flexibilility.

Flight Planning & ATC Procedures: For arrivals to India, the Air Traffic Control (ATC) of the respective flight information region (FIR) provides an Air Defence Clearance (ADC) confirmation number, allowing you to proceed to your destination once you enter the Indian FIR. When departing India it is important to ensure that a manually filled out flight plan is provided to the ATC. Your local ground handling agent will assist you on the same.

This is in addition to any flight plan filed via AFTN. While the manual flight plan may be filled out by your ground handler, based on the flight plan provided by the crew, the captain must personally sign it or by an approved flight despatcher. Once your flight plan is given to the ATC, two confirmation numbers are provided – the ADC number and a Flight Information Centre (FIC) number. It is only after these two confirmations are received that a flight plan is cleared. Be mindful that the pilot in command (PIC) may be asked to reconfirm both ADCs and FICs prior to obtaining clearance.

Please note that approach plates for military and joint-use civilian/military airports are classified as confidential by Indian military intelligence. These approach plates are no longer published in the India aeronautical information publication (AIP) and are not currently publicly available.

Ground Handling: In India we have certain numbers of ground handling agencies. While private non-revenue and charter flights are handled in the same manner with a similar request procedure, widebody and larger GA equipment is handled somewhat differently. It is good to hire a credible service agency or professionals who have the prerequisite experience and certification to handle the somewhat complex clearances.

Raju Ranjan Gogoi is an aviation adviser and consultant with an experience of decade in GA/BA operations in India & South East Asia. Presently he has been associated with several projects and assignments pertaining to GA/BA ops and its future in India.