To ensure that the Kashmir Valley is not cut off for commercial air traffic, the civil aviation ministry on Monday authorised landing of commercial flights at the IAF’s Avantipur airbase near Srinagar for the duration of time for which the Srinagar airport will remain closed for maintenance work.
The decision was taken after requests by political leaders from J&K. The Srinagar airport will remain closed from September 3 for a period of 12 days on account of maintenance work. People in the Valley had expressed apprehension that closing of the airport would effectively prevent any commercial air traffic to and from the Valley that would pose massive inconvenience to people especially in cases of medical emergencies or other such contingencies. Civil aviation secretary Madhavan Nambiar held a meeting of airline representatives where the decision was taken to utilise the Avantipur airport for commercial flights for this time period. Airlines have been asked to accept flight bookings from September 3 to Avantipur for 12 days.
Former Union minister and J&K Congress chief Prof. Saifuddin Soz said in Srinagar that he had met the Prime Minister in New Delhi earlier during the day. “I explained to the Prime Minister that closing down of Srinagar airport would cause very great hardship to the people of Kashmir particularly because the festival of Id would fall on September 10 and several days before and after Id thousands of Kashmiris, spread over whole of India, would like to travel to Kashmir and get back to their place of work and, therefore, the airport can’t be closed.” He explained to the PM that unless the alternative airport was thrown to civilian air traffic, the repairs should not be undertaken at the Srinagar airport.