The recent pre-wedding bash of Ambani’s in Jamnagar, attended by a number of celebrities and high profile individuals from across the world, saw an unprecedented amount of air activity which was handled by the Indian Air Force (IAF), with over 600 flight movements in five days, and ensured it passed off without incident, according to sources in the know.
Reliance Group wrote to the Defence Secretary asking IAF’s assistance for 24x7 operations of the airfield starting from February 23 to March 4. The Defence Secretary in turn requested the Chief of Air Staff following which Jamnagar air base went into round-the-clock operations mode, a source stated. Initially they were told 30-40 aircraft, but in real it was over 600 movements, inbound and outgoing over the main five days.
“Given the limited facilities here, infrastructure was created in the last minute following detailed planning and deployment of additional manpower. The numbers were unprecedented, Jamnagar had never seen traffic like this before,” the source said. “Given the number of aircraft coming in and the very high profile guests, it needed constant improvisation to ensure smooth flow and prevent any incident.”
