Delhi's Safdarjung Airport to have full armed security cover

The Safdarjung Airport in the national capital would soon be safeguarded by an armed security cover provided by a central paramilitary force in view of potential threats to the facility used primarily for flying VVIP helicopter sorties. Official sources said a full-fledged security audit of the air facility located in the high-profile location of central Delhi has been ordered after central security agencies recommended the same and after a preliminary report was prepared about possible threats and vulnerabilities to it.

The over 200-acre airport is presently provided security by troops of the Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) drawn from North East states and they largely look after access-control duties through official entry/exit gates. The facility is operated by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and apart from conducting regular administrative operations, the airport also houses the hangar for the Mi-17 series of choppers of the Border Security Force and is used to fly VVIPs using these or by the helicopters of the Indian Air Force.

Sources said post the security audit, the task to fully secure the facility could be handed over to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which is the mandated agency to guard major civilian airports in the country.

Facing threat of terror attacks, the Home Ministry had recently ordered security audit of nearly 100 civil airports and decided to bring all such facilities under the CISF cover gradually. There are three facilities in the national capital which are used for flying operations including the civilian Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) guarded by the CISF and the Palam technical area used for flying jets for VVIPs and it is guarded by the IAF. Only the Safdarjung Airport, which has a runway but is only used for rotor-wing chopper operations, does not have a dedicated security mechanism.

Sources said central security agencies have pointed to the vulnerability of the airport as it has a open road-facing runway and its vast periphery is dotted by thick vegetation and buildings. It is also essential to keep the airport safe as the President, Prime Minister and other dignitaries take flight from here occasionally, and at times of emergencies, some secret sorties for special operations are also undertaken from here, they said.

The security audit, the sources said, will chalk out a plan to create an integrated security setup for the Safdarjung Airport by erecting watch towers at vantage locations, deploying mobile patrols of armed security personnel, access-control by deploying X-ray machines and other frisking gadgets. The airport also has a communication and surveillance set-up but has no surveillance radars due to its limited operations.

During a recent meeting of the security establishment, it was decided that 98 civil airports in the country and smaller but important airports like Safdarjung will be be brought under the security cover of the CISF, the specialised force for airport security. Out of the total 98 functional airports in the country, 59 are under CISF cover, leaving out 39. Among 98 airports, 26 airports, including Delhi and Mumbai, are considered hyper-sensitive.

Of these hyper-sensitive airports, 18 are under CISF cover while six like Srinagar and Imphal, are being guarded by CRPF, the state police or by other paramilitary forces. Under the sensitive category, there are 56 airports out of which only 37 have CISF cover and amongst 16 other airports, only four have CISF security.