The AAI has alleged that it had been bypassed when the NOTAM was issued by the Air Traffic Control (ATC). Airport Director K Srinivasa Rao stated, “I am in charge of commercial operations, and so I should have been the first one to know about the NOTAM so that we could plan our strategy. Secondly, we should have been informed about it well in advance so that we could communicate the same to airline operators, giving them enough time to change their flight operations. The naval authorities’ actions have left AAI to face embarrassment.”
Asked whether flight operations at Dabolim airport would be affected, Rao stated, “It’s not about the after-effects, but about the image. The image of AAI has been dented. Thankfully no flight operations were cancelled; only the timings have been changed. Flights will now come before 10 pm or after 4 am for 60 days. Also, the Navy’s claim that we were informed well in advance is incorrect.”
However, Captain N Thiagarajan, in-charge of air operations at INS Hansa, reiterated that the AAI had been informed well in advance about the NOTAM issued by the ATC. He stated that even during the first phase of the runway work, AAI had been informed that more work would be taken up after the monsoon.
He added, “It is wrong to say that they had no knowledge about the NOTAM, which had been officially given to AAI on September 14.”
