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The recently concluded pre-wedding festivities of the Ambani family garnered significant attention, drawing celebrities and prominent figures from various fields including entertainment, technology, business, philanthropy, and politics, both from India and around the world, to Jamnagar, where the events took place.
Notable personalities such as Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, as well as business tycoons like Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Gautam Adani, N Chandrasekaran, and Kumar Mangalam Birla graced the occasion, adding to its grandeur.
A recent report by The Hindu sheds light on the extensive involvement of the Indian Air Force (IAF) in managing over 600 flight movements during the five-day event. Normally, the Jamnagar airport handles only six charter flights a day.
According to sources, the Reliance Group reached out to Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane seeking permission from Chief of Air Defence Staff Vivek Ram Chaudhari to utilize the Indian Air Force resources between February 23 and March 14 to handle the influx of high-profile flights at Jamnagar.
Initially, a request for 30-40 flights was made, but the unprecedented number of aircraft prompted last-minute infrastructure arrangements and deployment of additional manpower to ensure smooth operations and prevent any mishaps.
During the pre-wedding festivities, the Mumbai airport, one of the busiest in the country, was closed for four hours to non-scheduled flights, further complicating air traffic control duties for the IAF.
With limited communication channels, the Jamnagar Air Traffic Control (ATC) handled a significantly higher volume of aircraft, facing unique challenges in managing ground movement and approach procedures.
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