The wholistic view of aviation in Inda must include as a high priority the debottlenecking of constraints due to archaic defense restrictions. Delhi airport is reportedly limited to only one runway because the other one is reserved for IAF use. In Goa, Dabolim airport is a naval air station which restricts flights on the first four days of the week during peak morning hours. Airlines, quite rightly, refuse to change their schedules just for the other days when there are no restriction. Meanwhile Airports Authority of India is unable to handle arrivals/departures in the night even though the Navy claims night operations are feasible. Like Dabolim there are a score of other "defense enclaves" which handle civil flights. An immediate move must be made at top most levels of government to introduce an effective system of "joint management" of such airfields while adequately safeguarding military security. In the U.S. we know of one such system which encompasses the Hickam Air Force Base and Honolulu International Airport in Hawaii. In the absence of joint management, Indian aviation is forced to invest in new airports at enormous cost and great delay.
