Raja Bhoj Airport

Raja Bhoj Airport (IATA: BHO, ICAO: VABP) is a domestic airport and a seasonal international airport serving Bhopal, the capital of the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. Named after the 10th century Paramara king, Raja Bhoj, it is the second busiest airport in Madhya Pradesh in terms of passenger and aircraft movements and is the largest airport of the state in terms of area.

Raja Bhoj Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerAirports Authority of India
OperatorAirports Authority of India
ServesBhopal
LocationGandhi Nagar, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh
Elevation AMSL1,719 ft / 524 m
Coordinates23°17′15″N 077°20′15″E
Maps
BHO is located in Madhya Pradesh
BHO
BHO
Location of airport in India
BHO is located in India
BHO
BHO
BHO (India)
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
12/30 9,022 2,744 Asphalt
Statistics (April 2022 - March 2023)
Passengers1,135,781 (Increase 54.9%)
Aircraft movements12,350 (Increase 27.3%)
Cargo tonnage3,048 (Increase 44.2%)
Source: AAI[1][2][3]

It is located in Gandhi Nagar, 15 km (9.3 mi) away from Bhopal Junction railway station in the city centre, and 20 km (12 mi) away from Habibganj railway station in the south of the city. The airport is also near the intersection of National Highway 46 (which forms a ring road around Bhopal) and State Highway 18, which connects Bhopal to Indore. The airport will get a Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility, due to its advantageous central location in India.[4]

Poor domestic and zero international air connectivity of this airport is a major concern among the citizens of Bhopal and the State Capital Region. Despite huge potential, due to presence of UNESCO world heritage sites of Sanchi, Bhimbetka and Bhojpur and presence of National Parks, the ignorance of state government, failing to provide push is hurting the capital both commercially and economically.

The AAI reported loss of 47.19 Crore in FY 2022-23 due to dismal flight operations and high operating cost.

Development

Runway

In 2010, the length of the runway was increased to 2,744 metres (9,003 ft), making it possible for larger aircraft to land at Bhopal.[5] The first direct seasonal international flight from Bhopal was to Jeddah, a Hajj charter flown by Saudia on 23 October 2010 for Hajj travellers.[6]

Renewable energy

In 2013, the airport became the first airport in the state to use solar power for running its utility grid system. A 100-kilowatt solar power plant was made operational in June 2013, with plans to install a 2-megawatt solar power plant at the airport in the future.[7] The airport has night landing facilities, an Instrument Landing System (ILS) and CAT VII fire services.[8]

Cargo and Logistics hub

A new Air Cargo Hub is being planned with 17 acres of land sanctioned near the airport for the same. For now, the old terminal building is being redeveloped into a Cargo Complex to increase cargo operations from the capital airport. The temporary Air Cargo Complex will be inaugurated by October 2019.[9]

Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) Facility

Bhopal airport has been selected as one of the eight new destinations to set up Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) facilities in India. The airport's central location throughout the country provides ample growth and logistics prospects for the facility.[4]

Immigration check post and International flights

In September, the DGCA started the process for granting international status to Raja Bhoj airport.[10] In November 2019, a joint central team composed of members of the Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Civil Aviation visited the airport to review the arrangements in starting immigration facilities, and did not find any major hurdles.[10] With this, the airport is all set to become an immigration check post,[10] which is a mandatory requirement for operating international flights.

View of the apron from the aerobridge.

Selfie Point - Say Yes To Life

Bhopal airport established a selfie point of glorifying life's importance in any difficulties.Raja Bhoj airport supported the campaign 'Say Yes To Life' run by eminent psychiatrist Dr Satyakant Trivedi(psychiatrist in Bhopal) who is a member of suicide prevention task force, Madhya Pradesh.[11][12]

Integrated terminal

The integrated terminal building worth Rs 1.35 billion was inaugurated on 28 June 2011 by the then Civil Aviation minister, Vayalar Ravi.[13] The state government had given 400 acres of land for the construction of the international terminal. The terminal building is built over an area of 26,936 square metres (289,940 sq ft) and has 14 check-in counters, 4 immigration counters for departures, and 6 immigration counters for arrival.

Interior of the Terminal at Bhopal Airport
Terminal view from Apron

It also has twenty-two customs counters, 11 for arrival and 11 for departure, and six X-ray machines for security.[8] The terminal, now, also has an eatery and a few retail stores, that were developed as part of the Airport Authority of India (AAI) scheme of the master concessionaire. The terminal is connected with 4 aerobridges.

Airlines and destinations
AirlinesDestinations
Air India Delhi, Mumbai
IndiGo Agra, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Delhi, Goa–Mopa, Hyderabad, Jaipur,[14] Mumbai, Prayagraj, Raipur, Udaipur,[15] Kochi[16]

Statistics
Annual passenger traffic at BHO airport. See Wikidata query.

Accidents and incidents
  • On 27 March 2021, a trainer aircraft crashed on the outskirts of Bhopal airport. Shortly after takeoff the pilot in command faced some problems in the aircraft and contacted Bhopal ATC for an emergency landing. The flight couldn't reach the runway and crashed in an open field 8 km away from Bhopal airport.
  • On May 7 2016, a Jet Airways ATR 72 (9W 2793) That took off from Bhopal Airport suffered from a Runway excursion at Indore Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Airport. There were no casualties but the plane was damaged beyond repair and was written off.

See also

References
  1. "Annexure III – Passenger Data" (PDF). aai.aero. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  2. "Annexure II – Aircraft Movement Data" (PDF). aai.aero. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  3. "Annexure IV – Freight Movement Data" (PDF). aai.aero. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  4. "Civil aviation min announces new MRO policy; seeks to attract investments". Business Standard India. Press Trust of India. 9 September 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  5. "Direct Haj flight from Bhopal". Hindustan Times. 3 June 2010. Archived from the original on 6 January 2014. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
  6. "First direct flight from Bhopal to Jeddah from tomorrow". The Times of India. 21 October 2010. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
  7. "Raja Bhoj airport all set to use solar energy". Hindustan Times. 20 June 2013. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
  8. "New terminal of Bhopal international airport opened for public" (PDF). Airports International Indian edition. August 2011. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
  9. "Bhopal to get air cargo services within a month". Latest Indian news, Top Breaking headlines, Today Headlines, Top Stories at Free Press Journal. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  10. "Immigration facility at Raja Bhoj airport soon". The Times of India. 7 November 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  11. "Say Yes To Life selfie point inaugurated at Bhopal airport". TimesOfIndia. 10 September 2022. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  12. "आत्महत्या रोकथाम रणनीति को लेकर मंत्री सारंग ने बनाई टास्क फोर्स". Livevns (in Hindi). 9 September 2022. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  13. "New terminal of Bhopal international airport opened for public". Daily News & Analysis. 28 June 2011. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
  14. "INDIGO 1H23 DOMESTIC ROUTES ADDITION SUMMARY – 05MAR23". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  15. Joshi, Gaurav (21 October 2022). "IndiGo Announces Eight New Domestic Routes". Simple Flying. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  16. {{cite web|title=Flight Schedule|url=https://www.goindigo.in/%7Cwebsite=IndiGo%7Caccess-date=25 March 2023
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