Delhi airspace to be shut for 2+ hrs for 6 days until Republic Day

Air travel through Delhi is set to become more challenging from January 21 because of security-related airspace restrictions linked to Republic Day celebrations. T According to the NOTAM issued by the government, Delhi’s airspace will be shut daily between 10:20 am and 12:45 pm from January 21 to January 26. With the advisory released barely eight days before implementation, airlines now face the task of rapidly reorganizing flight schedules. Aviation data indicates that more than 600 flights will be affected during this period.

 This shutdown is for practice, dress rehearsal and the actual Republic Day parade, an annual celebration that includes a parade, flypast and display of culture and military hardware along Kartavya Path. Such complete closures are also needed for security reasons, to ensure the safety and security of aircraft involved in the flypast along with security of the dignitaries during the Republic Day celebration.

The flights which are impacted may not necessarily be cancelled. However, they would certainly have a time change. Alternatively, passengers will be accommodated on a different flight at a different time. Since this period also coincides with the fog times in Delhi, on a particular day when the visibility drops, there could be chaos to handle as many flights and passengers in an even smaller operating window.

Data shared by Cirium, an aviation analytics company, exclusively for this article shows that a little over 600 flights will be impacted during this period. This period is one of the busiest periods at Delhi, with inbound passengers from across the country landing to connect to the afternoon bank of flights to Europe along with other destinations in India.

The impact will be felt by thousands of passengers on a daily basis by means of cancellation, rescheduling, and disruptions.