The launch of flight services for civilians from Shivamogga airport has been delayed due to the withdrawal of the no-objection certificate issued to the Bomb Threat Contingency Plan (BTCP) by the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Lok Sabha member B.Y. Raghavendra has said.
Addressing a press conference in Shivamogga on July 29, Mr. Raghavendra said as per the initial schedule, the flight operations should have begun on August 11. The airport had received an NOC for BTCP as well. However, it was withdrawn by the DGCA on July 18. Now, flight operations have been rescheduled to take off from August 31.
Mr. Raghavendra said that earlier the BTCP had been worked out considering the cooperation of the nearest airport, Hubballi-Dharwad. Technical experts could reach the Shivamogag airport from Hubballi-Dharwad airport in case of a bomb threat. However, a recent revised policy by the DGCA has now made it mandatory for airports to have all technical support.
