After 10 years, Delhi's Safdarjung airport finally gets CISF security cover

The Central Industrial Security Force on Wednesday took charge of the security of the Safdarjung airport in the national capital, a 213-acre non-scheduled air facility used for operating VVIP helicopter sorties for the President and the prime minister, among others. The paramilitary force has deployed a contingent of its armed personnel to guard the facility and will soon scale it up to a total of 136 personnel led by a deputy commandant-rank officer, a CISF spokesperson said. A senior officer told PTI that the proposal to transfer the security of this airport to CISF's aviation security wing was first mooted in 2016 but it somehow could not be executed. Personnel of the Delhi Police and Nagaland Police had been guarding the airport till now. Senior CISF officers and those from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) attended the induction ceremony held at the airport, whose runway is located adjacent to an open road (Aurobindo Marg), located in south Delhi near the INA Market. The airport is of "immense strategic importance" as Delhi's primary hub for VVIP and VIP helicopter transit, ”frequently handling flights for the President, vice president, and prime minister, as well as Cabinet ministers and state governors, the spokesperson said. The facility also houses a helicopter hangar of the Border Security Force (BSF) that functions under the Union home ministry and is surrounded by important government buildings and defence installations. The BSF helicopters based here not only fly VVIPs but also undertake special sorties for select high-risk persons and for covert operations, as directed by the central government. "Due to the airport's open, road-facing runway, dense adjacent vegetation, and proximity to high-density residential areas, central security agencies had strongly recommended transitioning from localized policing to the CISF's specialized federal coverage," the spokesperson said. This is the 73rd airport under the CISF umbrella. The CISF is the designated national civil aviation security force with major airports of the country under its anti-terror cover. As part of the new setup, CISF personnel will patrol the 3.8-km-long perimeter wall which is being integrated with a Perimeter Intrusion Detection System (PIDS). According to the spokesperson, the force will also operate an X-ray baggage system for those who enter in the base and deploy automatic boom barriers, hydraulic bollards, tyre killers, road blockers, Under-Vehicle Scanning Systems (UVSS) and CCTVs. Officials said the airport has a communication and surveillance setup but has no radars due to its limited operations.