Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (SVPIA) (IATA: AMD, ICAO: VAAH) is an international airport serving the cities of Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar in Gujarat, India. The airport is located in Hansol, 9 km (5.6 mi) north of central Ahmedabad. It is named after Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the 1st Deputy Prime Minister of India.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
Owner/OperatorAdani Group
Serves
LocationAhmedabad, Gujarat, India
Hub forTruJet[1]
Elevation AMSL58 m / 189 ft
Coordinates23°04′38″N 072°38′05″E
WebsiteOfficial website
Map
AMD
AMD
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
05/23 3,505 11,811 Concrete/Asphalt
Statistics (April 2018 - March 2019)
Passengers11,172,468
Aircraft movements78,412
Cargo tonnage91,633
Source: AAI[2][3][4]

In fiscal year 2018-19, it handled about 11.17 million passengers making it the seventh-busiest airport in terms of passenger traffic in India. The airport serves as a focus city for GoAir. In 2015, the government started the procedure for the privatisation of the airport. New Dholera International Airport is being developed due to expansion constraints at the current airport.

Ahmedabad Airport domestic terminal

It was awarded as “Most improved airport” in Asia-Pacific region by the Airports Council International for 2017.[5]

History
The statue of Sardar Patel installed within the airport in 2011.

The airport was set up in 1937, while international operations began on 26 January 1991. It was categorised as an International airport on 23 May 2000.[6] In 2010, the new terminal 2 was inaugurated for handling international passengers. A 18-foot-tall (5.5 m) statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was also inaugurated at the airport.[7][8] In 2015, the AAI invited proposals for privatisation of Ahmedabad, Chennai, Kolkata and Jaipur airports.[9]

A 700 kWp rooftop solar plant was commissioned at the airport on 21 March 2017.[10]

Structure

The airport currently consists of four terminals: domestic, international, an additional terminal for secondary traffic and a cargo terminal as well. The airport has 45 parking bays and both the international and domestic terminals have four aero-bridges each. The new terminal has been modelled based on Singapore Changi Airport.[11]

The new terminal has a half-kilometre-long moving walkway, which connects the two terminals.[12] Airports Authority of India (AAI) will construct a new technical block which will enhance the flight handling capacity and provide better control of flights.[13]

Runway

The airport has a single runway that is 3,505 metres (11,499 ft) long.[14]

Air traffic control tower

As part of the airport modernisation process, the AAI announced that it would construct a new air traffic control (ATC) building that would include a new airport tower 65 metres (213 ft) in height.[15]

Terminals

Terminal 1

Terminal 1 has 32 check-in counters and has an area of 45,000 m2 (480,000 sq ft).

In December 2018, a new Plaza Premium lounge was opened at Domestic Terminal 1 (near Gate 4 on first floor), which caters for Priority Pass and other select bank cards as well as some business class passengers based on airline flown.

Terminal 2
Interior of Terminal 2

T2 was inaugurated on 5 July 2010 and opened for use on 15 September 2010. The terminal won the award for the best Steel Structure at the 2009 edition of the National Structural Steel Design and Construction Awards.[16] The terminal has four aerobridges and 32 check-in counters. With the total floor area of approximately 41,000 sq. meters, this terminal will be able to accommodate around 1,600 passengers at any given time. In November 2018, a new Plaza Premium lounge was opened at International Departure area of Terminal 2, which caters for business class and first class passengers as well as passengers holding Priority Pass and other Bank card. The new 51,975-square-metre (559,450 sq ft) apron area can cater for the parking of nine A-321 and four ATR-72 type of aircraft.

Terminal 3

Terminal 3 will come up next to Terminal 1. The Terminal would be used solely for Domestic flights. The Foundation and construction work begun in early 2019.

Cargo Terminal

The airport handled 51,637 tonnes of cargo, inclusive of gold and silver in 2013–14. Sixty percent of the cargo comes from domestic sources.[17] In 2009, 3,685 square metres (39,670 sq ft) of land was leased for a period of seven years out by the AAI to Gujarat Agro Industries Corporation to set up a center for perishable cargo. However, due to a government policy that prevented third-party operations at airports run by the AAI, the CPC was not in use until July 2014, when the minister of state for civil aviation announced that the government had issued a No Objection Certificate for commencement of operations.[18] In 2014, it was announced that the airport would be getting a dedicated cargo terminal which is expected to come up at Terminal 3.[17]

Airlines and destinations

Passenger
AirlinesDestinations
Air Arabia Sharjah
Air India Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Kuwait, London–Heathrow, Mumbai
AirAsia India Bangalore, Delhi
AirAsia X Kuala Lumpur–International[19]
Air DeccanBhavnagar, Diu, Mundra[20]
Alliance Air Kandla, Nashik
Druk AirSeasonal: Bagdogra, Paro[21]
Emirates Dubai–International
Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi
flydubai Dubai–International
GoAir Bangalore, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Goa, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Kochi, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune, Varanasi
IndiGoBagdogra, Bangalore, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Dehradun,[22] Delhi, Dubai–International, Goa, Hubli, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kochi, Kolkata, Kozhikode, Kuwait, Lucknow, Mumbai, Patna,[23] Pune, Varanasi, Visakhapatnam
Iraqi Airways Baghdad, Najaf
Jazeera Airways Kuwait
Kuwait Airways Kuwait
Qatar Airways Doha
Singapore Airlines Singapore
SpiceJet Amritsar,[24] Aurangabad, Bangalore, Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi, Bhopal, Chennai, Coimbatore, Dehradun, Delhi, Dubai–International, Goa, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Jeddah, Jodhpur, Kanpur, Kolkata, Kishangarh, Mumbai, Muscat, Patna, Pune, Udaipur, Varanasi
Star Air Bangalore, Belgaum, Kishangarh
Thai AirAsia Bangkok–Don Mueang
Thai Smile Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi
TruJet Aurangabad, Indore, Jalgaon, Kandla, Nashik, Porbandar
Vistara Delhi, Mumbai

Cargo
AirlinesDestinationsRefs.
Blue Dart Aviation Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai
Emirates SkyCargo Dubai–Al Maktoum
Ethiopian Airlines Cargo Addis Ababa
Qatar Airways Cargo Doha [25]

Accidents and incidents
  • Indian Airlines Flight 113 operating from Mumbai to Ahmedabad crashed on its final approach to the airport on 19 October 1988, killing 130 people including all 6 crew members. The flight was cleared for a visual approach into a foggy airport, when it struck trees and a high-tension pylon at a distance of 5 km from Runway 23, before crashing into a field and bursting into flames.
  • Jet Airways Flight 2510, coming in from Indore collapsed on the runway while landing at the airport on 22 July 2010. There were 57 passengers and four crew members on board the ATR flight. Some passengers received minor injuries as the nose wheel reportedly collapsed due to a tyre burst.[26]

See also
  • Dholera International Airport
  • Airports in India
  • List of busiest airports in India by passenger traffic

References
  1. "Trujet to double fleet, takes it to 10 ATRs; adds 10 more destinations by end of 2019". The Hindu BusinessLine. 12 July 2019. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  2. "Traffic News for the month of March 2019: Annexure-III" (PDF). Airports Authority of India. 1 May 2019. p. 3. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  3. "Traffic News for the month of March 2019: Annexure-II" (PDF). Airports Authority of India. 1 May 2019. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 May 2018. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  4. "Traffic News for the month of March 2018: Annexure-IV" (PDF). Airports Authority of India. 1 May 2018. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 May 2018. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  5. "Ahmedabad airport on a new high as most improved airport in Asia Pacific region - Times of India". The Times of India. Times of India. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  6. "Airports International - New Terminal in Ahmedabad" (PDF). Airports Authority of India. 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 July 2013. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  7. "Praful Patel inaugurates Sardar Patel's statue at Ahmedabad airport". Daily News and Analysis. Ahmedabad. 10 January 2011. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  8. "New building to be used as international terminal: AAI". Times of India. Ahmedabad. 1 September 2010. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  9. Mukherjee, Sharmishtha (12 February 2015). "Eight firms line up to bid for airport privatisation projects". Indian Express. New Delhi. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  10. "Airport rooftop solar array joins power grid - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
  11. "Fly out of Changi, in apnu Amdavad". The Times of India. 28 June 2009.
  12. "New terminal soon at A'bad international airport". expressindia.com. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
  13. "Rs 90 crore for new air traffic control block at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport". DNA Ahmedabad Edition. 15 December 2009.
  14. Jain, Ankur (20 March 2011). "Runway repair at Ahmedabad airport to hit summer travel". Times of India. Ahmedabad. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  15. Jha, Satish (17 January 2011). "Air traffic control at Ahmedabad airport to be automated". DNA. Ahmedabad. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  16. Jha, Satish (1 February 2011). "New Ahmedabad airport terminal wins award". Daily News and Analysis. Ahmedabad. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  17. Mishra, Piyush (16 July 2014). "Ahmedabad airport to get dedicated cargo terminal". Times of India. Ahmedabad. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  18. Mishra, Piyush (15 July 2014). "Ahmedabad airport's perishable cargo centre to begin services soon". Times of India. Ahmedabad. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  19. "AirAsia X to launch Kuala Lumpur-Ahmedabad service from 29-Apr-2020". CAPA. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  20. "AIR DECCAN". airdeccan.co.in. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  21. Ltd. 2019, UBM (UK). "Drukair schedules Ahmedabad service in 2Q19". Routesonline. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  22. "IndiGo to commence Ahmedabad-Dehradun service in Mar-2020". CAPA. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  23. "New Flights Information, Status & Schedule | IndiGo". www.goindigo.in.
  24. "SpiceJet Flight Schedules". SpiceJet. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
  25. "Qatar Airways Cargo to launch freighter service to Ahmedabad on Feb 3". Gulf Times. 19 January 2015. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  26. "Plane's nose wheel collapses, passengers safe". IBNLive.com. Retrieved 1 February 2011.

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