Panaji, Aug 5 (PTI) Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday said photography by air travellers is permitted at terminal buildings of Manohar International Airport, while restrictions are in place at the international airport in Dabolim.
Sawant was responding to Congress MLA Carlos Ferreira’s calling attention motion regarding confusion over the prohibition of photography at the state’s airports.
Manohar International Airport is a civil airport, while the Goa International Airport in Dabolim serves as a runway for aircraft operating out of the Indian Navy’s INS Hansa on the Western front.
He said the earlier restrictions about photography at airport terminals and from inside aircraft have been revised.
“Photography by passengers of scheduled flights in terminal buildings of civil aerodromes and civil enclaves of defence aerodromes is now allowed,” the chief minister said.
He, however, clarified that photography and videography from inside an aircraft, particularly at defence airports (Dabolim airport), remain prohibited under directives issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
The DGCA has also mandated that window shades be kept closed below 10,000 feet during take-off and landing at defence airports to prevent inadvertent capture of sensitive installations, Sawant said.
He added that restrictions are particularly stringent at airports near the western border, including Dabolim (Goa), Leh, Srinagar, and Jammu.
Sawant said that the airlines have been instructed to inform passengers of these restrictions via announcements and visible signage.
“The prohibition aims to safeguard national security by preventing any potential capture of sensitive military operations or infrastructure,” he added. PTI RPS ARU
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