Inside Delhi's Aviation Gridlock Plan for 35 BRICS Summit Aircraft

Delhi is running a tightly sequenced aviation operation to handle around 35 special aircraft carrying BRICS leaders, with arrangements spread across Indira Gandhi International Airport, the Indian Air Force's Palam technical area and several other airfields used for parking.

The exercise involves the CISF, the Air Force, aviation regulators, the airport operator and other security agencies, all working to keep VVIP traffic separate from the routine flow of commercial aviation.

For ordinary travellers, the process begins inside the terminal and ends at an aerobridge. Visiting dignitaries are handled differently. Ceremonial facilities are reserved for ministers and other senior guests, while the most senior visitors are routed through the Palam technical area, which allows their aircraft to arrive outside the normal passenger-terminal system and moves the principal and delegation into a separately secured ground arrangement.

A senior CISF official familiar with the planning said the journey from aircraft to convoy is deliberately kept unpredictable. Multiple exits and vehicles are kept ready, with the final exit chosen only at the last stage.

Airspace windows widened

Normally, a VVIP movement in a major city — Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai or Hyderabad — closes airspace for about three to four minutes. With several leaders arriving and departing during the summit, those windows have been extended and coordinated more extensively to give special aircraft clear passage.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has restricted non-scheduled flight operations within a 300-km radius of Delhi from September 11 to 13. Scheduled commercial flights are exempt, while special flights carrying BRICS dignitaries and related movements may operate with prior approval.

The curbs bear most heavily on unregistered private and light aircraft, whose movements fall outside airline schedules. Such aircraft are being verified and subjected to specific conditions to reduce security risks during the summit.

Scheduled airlines are being fitted around the VVIP movements. Where necessary, their arrival and departure timings have been shifted by about 10-15 minutes to avoid coinciding with a special aircraft. If an overlap still occurs, a flight may be held in the air or diverted temporarily to another airport, depending on traffic and operational needs.

Parking spread across airports

Beyond Palam and Delhi Airport, the parking plan draws on Noida International Airport, Safdarjung Airport, Hindon Airport and two other airports.

Aircraft are expected to arrive in different configurations. Roughly 70-75% of participating countries are likely to bring one dedicated aircraft, 10-15% could bring two, and another 10-15% are expected to use scheduled flights.

Security continues after landing. Additional checks are carried out during ground handling, including testing two samples of the aviation fuel supplied to an aircraft to rule out tampering or other concerns.

Flying by light and micro-light aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles has also been restricted within the 300-km radius during the summit.

At the airport, CISF personnel work within the aviation-security framework set by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, while the Air Force runs the technical-area operation. Other agencies handle the diplomatic, intelligence, traffic and road-security dimensions of VVIP movement.

The outcome is a deliberately separated system in which special aircraft can be received, parked and moved under enhanced security while Delhi's scheduled aviation continues around them. For the agencies involved, the task is less about any single arrival than about sequencing every movement — in the air, on the ground and through the airport — so that an exceptional concentration of VVIP traffic does not halt the routine flow of commercial flights.