Srinagar, Aug 24: Unheard of in any part of the world, there is a flight blackout to and from Srinagar on cards, much to the disappointment of those who travel by air.
Informed sources disclosed to Greater Kashmir that the Indian Air Force, manning the runway of the Srinagar International Airport, has finally decided to carry out the runway repair work from September 1 to 12 and close down the aerodrome completely for 12 days.
“No flight would be operating to and from Srinagar from September 1 to September 12,” confirmed a Srinagar-based official of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) adding, “The IAF has taken over the runway. They have to carry out some renovation work on it.”
The flight shutdown comes following commencement of the annual Amarnath Yatra and the IAF’s decision in April this year that the “runway had to be repaired” in September.
Apart from air travellers, the closure move has disappointed the airlines and the AAI too. “The IAF could have carried out the repair work during night in the past two months. And then the flights operate from 9 am to 3 pm, so they could have done the repair work after four. But they are deliberately putting the people to trouble,” said Idrees, a businessman who travels to Delhi frequently by air.
“Now that the Yatra is over, they are putting the common man to trouble. The IAF should reconsider the decision and carry out the repair work during night,” he said.
Fear has gripped the people on hearing the decision. “What if the critical patients have to be airlifted to Jammu or Delhi? Does the IAF mean they should die on the Srinagar-Jammu highway?” asked an airport official.
“And what about the people who have to visit Kashmir from outside to celebrate Eid with their family. The IAF is depriving them of an opportunity to be with their family.”
Pertinently, Srinagar International Airport is under the operational control of the Indian Air Force while all other civilian airports throughout the country are manned by AAI.

BACKGROUND
The airport closure row actually surfaced in April this year with state government taking a serious exception to the move and urging the Defence Ministry to reconsider the decision keeping in view the peak tourism season. The Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had personally taken up the issue with the Defence Minister, A K Antony in New Delhi.
Following the meet, it was decided to postpone the runway repair.
The move had brought the Jammu and Kashmir government and the Airports Authority of India at loggerheads with the Indian Air Force, which had contemplated to shift the airline operation from Srinagar to the Awantipora Air Force Base -30 kms from Srinagar.
This time, however, not even the Awantipora option has been considered, taking the airlines by surprise. “We would be incurring loss of millions of rupees on account of runway repairs,” said station manager of a private airliner. “We have already suffered a heavy loss due to the two month long unrest in Kashmir. Now the IAF is adding to our woes. People would be immensely suffering because of no flights to Srinagar.”
The Srinagar-based Air Force authorities had argued that the delay in runway repair was not feasible. “We are doing it in the interest of public. The top layer on the runway has to be laid. If we delay it, then there will be engineering and temperature problems, which can affect the work later. It can fall on the next year then,” an AIF official had said.
Meanwhile, people associated with the Tourism industry, who have suffered heavy loss due to unrest, have expressed anguish over the airport closure decision. “We are in a panic. The entire tourism fraternity is in panic after we heard that the authorities are closing the airport,” said a group of travel agents.

Lastupdate on : Tue, 24 Aug 2010 21:30:00 Mecca time
Lastupdate on : Tue, 24 Aug 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Wed, 25 Aug 2010 00:00:00 IST