Civil enclave

A Civil Enclave is an area allotted at an airport belonging to the armed forces, for the usage of civil aircraft and civil aviation related services.

Civil enclaves are common in countries like India, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan where a part of an Air force base, almost invariably a legacy of World War II vintage, is allotted for domestic air traffic instead of building a new civilian airport. These airports usually have a curfew (mostly after sunset) during which civil aircraft are not permitted to operate. Many reserve morning hours for military flight training. Some civil enclaves adopt an altitude restriction, i.e. one below which a civilian aircraft cannot descend while over-flying the enclave. The curfew system may result in airport congestion while the altitude restriction can cause long detours and greater fuel consumption.

Air Traffic Control at civil enclaves is usually entrusted to the armed forces or it may be a joint civilian-military crew. In some countries security is the responsibility of military personnel; in others, civil security authorities such as the Transportation Security Administration in the United States retain responsibility for all civilian aviation security. It is generally accepted that the military receives revenues from civil use of ATC services if they own and operate them, but in some countries it is not clear as to whether capital expenditure for improvements such as runway expansion is the responsibility of the military or civilian...
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