Coimbatore International Airport

Coimbatore International Airport
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner Government of India
Operator Airports Authority of India
Serves Coimbatore Metropolitan Area
Location Peelamedu, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
Elevation AMSL 400 m / 1,311[1] ft
Coordinates 11°01′36″N 077°02′30″E / 11.02667°N 77.04167°E / 11.02667; 77.04167Coordinates: 11°01′36″N 077°02′30″E / 11.02667°N 77.04167°E / 11.02667; 77.04167
Website www.aai.aero/en/airports/coimbatore
Map
CJB
CJB
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
05/23 3,120 9,990 Asphalt
Statistics (April 2017 - March 2018)
Passenger movements 2,403,935 (Increase14.2%)
Aircraft movements 21,595 (Increase4.2%)
Cargo tonnage 10,461 (Increase3.2%)
Source: AAI[2][3][4]

Coimbatore International Airport[5] (IATA: CJB, ICAO: VOCB) is the primary airport serving the city of Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu. It is located at Peelamedu, about 12 km (7.5 mi) from the center of the city. It is the 20th busiest airport in India in terms of passengers handled, 18th busiest in terms of total aircraft movement and 15th busiest in terms of cargo handled. The airport is the second largest airport in the state in terms of runway length, aircraft movement, passenger traffic and cargo after Chennai International Airport in Tamil Nadu. The airport is served by seven Indian and three foreign carriers providing direct connectivity to 15 domestic and three international destinations.

History

The airport commenced operations in 1940 as a civil aerodrome with Indian Airlines operating Fokker F27, Douglas DC-3 and later Hawker Siddeley HS 748 aircraft.[6] Beginning with services to Chennai and Bangalore, other destinations like Cochin and Mumbai were added later. The airport was modernized with an extended runway to accommodate larger aircraft like the Boeing 737 and was reopened in 1987. The Sulur Air Force Base located further east of Coimbatore was temporarily used for civil aviation during this period. As of 2017, the airport is served by seven domestic and three international carriers.

The Prime Minister of India declared the government's intention to upgrade Coimbatore Airport to International status in a meeting with senior ministers on 6 June 2012[7] and the Union Cabinet granted it the status of international airport on 2 October 2012.[8]

Infrastructure

The airport has one runway that is 9,760 ft (2,970 m) in length extended from 8,500 ft (2,600 m) to accommodate larger aircraft.[9] In 2008, the airport was expanded at a cost of ₹780 million (US$11 million) with aero bridges, parking bays and Instrument Landing System (ILS).[10] In 2010, new domestic and international divisions were added to the already existing common terminal. The airport also has a facility of international air cargo complex.

The airport has a parking management system with a capacity to accommodate nearly 300 cars.[11] There are two hangars in the airport; one provides housing for the planes of Coimbatore Flying Club, the other provides shelter for private carriers.

Existing airside works underway as of 2018 include the construction of two additional parking bays, two new aerobridges, apron for ground handling vehicles, and an additional taxiway on the northwestern side of the apron.

The further proposed expansion of the airport includes a new terminal building on the southern side, extension of runway to 12,500 ft (3,800 m) to accommodate larger aircraft and construction of a parallel taxiway to minimize runway occupancy time and turnaround time of aircraft.[12] The State Government has agreed to handover 627 acres of land to the Airports Authority of India in this regard. Currently, land acquisition is in progress. AAI has allocated Rs.1500 crores for the expansion, which includes the aforementioned construction of integrated terminal building, parking bays, runway extension and additional facilities.

Airlines and destinations

An Air Costa Embraer E-190 at the airport
An Air India Airbus A321 at the airport
AirlinesDestinations
Air Arabia Sharjah
Air India Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai
Air India Express Delhi, Singapore
Alliance Air Bangalore, Chennai, Goa, Hyderabad, Kochi, Pune
IndiGo Agartala, Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bangalore, Bhubaneshwar, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Surat, Visakhapatnam
Jet Airways Amritsar, Bangalore, Chennai (Resumes 28 October 2018), Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune
SilkAir Singapore
SpiceJet Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi
SriLankan Airlines Colombo

Connectivity

The airport is located on Avinashi Road about 10 km (6.2 mi) from the central bus station. Frequent bus services are available from Gandhipuram central bus station and also from other auxiliary bus stations at Singanallur and Ukkadam. The airport is 11 km (6.8 mi) from the major railway station, Coimbatore Junction and the nearest rail stations are at Singanallur and Peelamedu. Cab services, call taxis and auto rickshaws provide 24 hours commuting services to the airport.

Incidents

  • On 13 December 1950, a Douglas DC-3 (registered VT-CFK) carrying 17 passengers and four crew from Bombay to Coimbatore, crashed into high ground near Kotagiri due to a navigational error, killing all on board.[13]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Coimbatore Airport". airportsindia.in. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  2. ↑ "Traffic News for the month of March 2018: Annexure-III" (PDF). Airports Authority of India. 1 May 2018. p. 3. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  3. ↑ "Traffic News for the month of March 2018: Annexure-II" (PDF). Airports Authority of India. 1 May 2018. p. 3. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  4. ↑ "Traffic News for the month of March 2018: Annexure-IV" (PDF). Airports Authority of India. 1 May 2018. p. 3. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  5. ↑ "Coimbatore Airport". airportsindia.org. Archived from the original on 4 August 2015. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
  6. ↑ "Flights, Coimbatore Airport". mapsofindia.com. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
  7. ↑ "Prime Minister holds infrastructure meet, but Mukul Roy is missing". NDTV. 6 June 2012. Retrieved 13 June 2012. Prime Minister said this year will see a series of new projects being commissioned, including international airports for Lucknow, Varanasi, Coimbatore, Trichy and Gaya
  8. ↑ "Cabinet grants international airport status to five airports". The Economic Times. New Delhi. 4 October 2012. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
  9. ↑ "Extended runway ready at Coimbatore Airport". The Hindu. 20 April 2008. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
  10. ↑ "Coimbatore airport to get a new look". The Hindu. 28 October 2007. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
  11. ↑ "New parking system at Coimbatore Airport". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 1 April 2011. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
  12. ↑ Palaniappan, V. S. (19 May 2012). "Airport land acquisition process under way". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
  13. ↑ "ASN Aircraft accident Douglas C-48C-DO (DC-3) VT-CFK". Aviation-safety.net. Archived from the original on 23 November 2015. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
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