Why Hakimpet IAF base may not be Hyderabad’s best option for a second airport

Hyderabad: Representing the Telangana Cabinet, Minister KT Rama Rao, the working president of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), announced that the government is considering a second airport for Hyderabad, to keep up with the growing number of flyers.

In the same breath, the minister stated that they (referring to the government) intend to approach the Central government to convert the Hakimpet Air Force training base into a hybrid airport, accommodating both commercial and defence operations, similar to Pune.

Ahead of the Telangana Assembly polls, the Cabinet chaired by chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao held a marathon meeting on July 19 and announced a few key decisions with regard to transportation, health, and marginalised communities. The poll-bound decisions revolved more around vote banks, including the decision to bring 43,000 TSRTC employees under government pay. Among the many announcements, the decision to establish a second airport for Hyderabad gained considerable spotlight.

“The Hakimpet Air Force training base can function in a hybrid model similar to Pune and Goa, where Defence and commercial operations run parallelly. Hyderabad, now a hub for corporate, industries and pharma, is rapidly growing. The Cabinet contemplates that the city must have a second airport to meet the demands of flyers,” the government said.

The Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Shamshabad has witnessed more than 21 million passengers during 2022-23. Among them, 17.6 MPPA were domestic passengers and more than 3.4 MPPA were international passengers. Compared to pre-Covid figures (2019-20), passenger traffic has recovered by over 97 per cent during 2022-23. In fact, the transfer traffic has also increased from 13 per cent to 22 per cent in 2022-23, according to the data shared by GMR, the group that manages the airport.

However, the case for making Hakimpet Air Force a second airport has several issues that need to be addressed.

Top pilot training base in country

The Hakimpet Air Force training base, on the fringes of Shameerpet, is one of India’s biggest training grounds for Air Force fighter pilots and helicopter pilots. Established in 1962, the training base houses one of the oldest and largest Helicopter Training Units (HTU).

An Air Force cadet's training begins at Dundigal base, a few kilometres from Hakimpet. The cadets are made to fly the Pilatus PC-7 for a period of six months and only the ones who graduate get into Hakimpet. The training base has fighter jets like the Kiran trainer aircraft. After a year’s training at Level 1 (Dundigal) and Level 2 (Hakimpet), the cadets head to Yelahanka air base in Bengaluru.

Compromising national security and lack of space

Air Commodore UN Ganguly (retired) who served as a trainer and chief instructor at the Hakimpet Air Force base explained, “Hakimpet has produced some of the world’s best pilots that guard our skies. It is the IAF’s primary training ground for fighter and helicopter pilots. However, unlike the IAF jets, commercial aircraft required a lot of space which is absent at Hakimpet. Another significant factor that comes to my mind is the fact that none of the existing hybrid airfields/airports mentioned, are AF Training bases. The quantum of flying that needs to be carried out per day in Flying Training airfield leaves hardly any scope to accommodate civil flights without severely affecting completion of the mandatory time- bound flying task. Under the existing circumstance, I don't see any scope for such a proposal to fructify.

“The base has been designed to accommodate fighter jets and helicopters only. For example, if an IAF jet needs 10 km for approach, a civil aircraft will require 50 km. A civil aircraft cannot manoeuvre like a fighter jet. Also, it falls under a high-security zone. Converting it to accommodate civil travel will compromise security arrangements. This training base is not a feasible option, technically. The hybrid model will hamper the strategic security which might put our pilots in danger,” he added.

‘Begumpet, a better option’

Speaking to NewsMeter, Wing Commander TJ Reddy (retired) said, “Hakimpet is among the premier flying training establishments of the IAF. It is the base for intermediate flight training for jet aircraft fighters and training for flying helicopters. The base operates around the year, most days and nights too, to meet training commitments. It is a moot point if there is any scope for any meaningful operation of civil passenger flights, especially domestic.”

“The availability of land for the development of hangars, passenger terminals, convenient entry/exit for civil passenger movement, the slope of the runway in one of the landing directions, and more importantly, accommodating training for fighter flights etc. seem to be inhibiting factors to take the proposal forward,” he added.

Such hybrid models are operational in cities like Pune, Guwahati, and Chandigarh, where large Air Force airports have segregated terminals for commercial operations. Though the state may approach the centre and the civil aviation, the decision lies with Air Force headquarters.

Experts in the field consider the old Begumpet airport to be a better option than Hakimpet. “Currently few of the IAF jets and transporter flights operate out of Begumpet, besides the VIP movement. Transporter flights engaged in relief operations fly out of Begumpet. Begumpet can serve as a better option,” said a wing commander who wanted to stay anonymous. However, it is pertinent to note that the old Begumpet airport stopped commercial operations over a decade. The location of the old airport may also cause a worry to passengers if caught in traffic.

Threats to Hakimpet base

On July 7, The Cyberabad Police Commissionerate issued an order, prohibiting the flying of drones, paragliders, and micro-light aircraft within a 5 km radius of the Air Force Station in Hakimpet.

The order was followed by a memorandum from the Ministry of Home Affairs that highlighted the increasing concerns regarding the possibility of terrorist or antisocial attacks utilising para-gliders, remote-controlled drones, and micro-light aircraft.

This isn’t a standalone alert. In the past, there have been many warnings of a possible terror attack on the Hakimpet station given its strategic importance. During the Balakot attack, this station in Hyderabad was labelled as a red zone and was under high security.