90 flights in Lucknow to be affected by DefExpo

Around 90 flights in Lucknow will be rescheduled due to the Defence Expo which will be held from February 5 to 9.

This rescheduling of flights from February 4 to 8 will impact more than 22,000 passengers.

According to sources, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has taken this decision to create a safe zone for high-speed aircraft that can fly at 2,700 km per hour.

Fighter planes like Rafale, which India is soon going to acquire from France, F-35 Lightning II of US defence manufacturer Lockheed Martin, which the US wants to sell to India, will be seen on Lucknow's skyline during the Expo.

Fighter jets - Sukhoi 30 MKI, Jaguar and helicopters like Chinook and Cheetah would also be flying from Lucknow airport and Bakshi Ka Talab airport.

Sanjay Narain, spokesperson, AAI, said: "The air show would be among the major attractions of DefExpo, which is why such measures have been undertaken. The fighter planes participating in the show would take off and land at the Chaudhary Charan Singh (CCS) Airport in Lucknow.

He further said: "The runway would be closed daily for two hours for the Defence Expo and commercial flights would have to be rescheduled. If the air force demands, the closure period could be extended."

The district administration and Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) authorities have ensured closure of all meat shops in the area for the given period.

"High-speed aircraft need to be protected from birds and that is why the AAI has decided to explode crackers to fly away birds from the place. Along the CCS Airport-Vrindavan Colony stretch on Kanpur Road, people and vendors will not be able to purchase and sell meat and fish in the area till February 9," said a municipal official.

Arvind Rao, Director, animal welfare (LMC) said: "The area has been declared a low-fly zone and the protocol involves closure of all meat shops in a seven-km radius of the airport to make it a bird-free zone as birds are often attracted by small meat pieces left by meat shops."IANS