The recent pre-wedding festivities of Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani’s son Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant in Jamnagar witnessed an extraordinary feat of aerial coordination, as the Indian Air Force (IAF) stepped in to manage the staggering number of flight movements.
According to sources privy to the event, the five-day celebrations saw over 600 flight movements, a figure that far exceeded the initial estimates provided to the IAF. The Reliance Group had written to the Defence Secretary, requesting the IAF’s assistance for round-the-clock operations at the Jamnagar airfield from February 23 to March 4.
The Defence Secretary, in turn, approached the Chief of Air Staff, which resulted in the Jamnagar air base transitioning to a 24/7 operational mode. While the Reliance Group had initially indicated around 30-40 aircraft, the actual number of inbound and outbound flights during the peak five-day period surpassed 600.
“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,” a source stated, underscoring the challenges faced by the IAF.
The Jamnagar airfield, a dual-user facility where the IAF is responsible for air traffic management in coordination with the Airports Authority of India (AAI), typically handles a number of scheduled and non-scheduled air movements on a daily basis. However, the sudden influx of high-profile guests, including the likes of Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Rihanna, and Ivanka Trump, pushed air traffic control to its limits.
“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,” the source added.
The IAF’s intervention involved the creation of temporary infrastructure, including additional roads, taxi tracks, and parking areas, to accommodate the overwhelming number of aircraft. The Air Traffic Control (ATC) also had to coordinate extensively with its Mumbai counterpart, as the latter airport was shut down for four hours to prioritize the non-scheduled flights from Jamnagar.
“In large airports, the ATCs have a separate communication channel for ground movement and a separate channel for approach. The Jamnagar ATC had only one channel. So the ATC was handling about 60-80 aircraft at a time,” the source revealed, underscoring the operational challenges faced by the air traffic controllers.
The successful management of this unprecedented air traffic activity at the Jamnagar airfield underscores the IAF’s versatility and the seamless coordination between the military and civilian aviation authorities. As the Ambani family’s pre-wedding celebrations drew global attention, the IAF’s role in ensuring the smooth flow of air traffic has emerged as a testament to the armed forces’ commitment to supporting India’s high-profile events.
