Rajkot International Airport

Rajkot International Airport (IATA: HSR, ICAO: VAHS) is an international airport and a greenfield airport at Hirasar, Gujarat, India,[3] serving the city of Rajkot and the Saurashtra region. It is located near the National Highway 8B (NH-8B) connecting Ahmedabad and Rajkot. It has a single runway for the operation of ‘C’ category aircraft.[4] The airport was developed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) at a cost of ₹2,654 crore (US$330 million).[5] The foundation stone for the construction of the airport was laid on 7 October 2017, and was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 27 July 2023, which was previously expected to be done on 31 December 2023.[1]

Rajkot International Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerAirports Authority of India
ServesRajkot
LocationHirasar, Rajkot district, Gujarat, India
Opened27 July 2023 (2023-07-27)[1]
Coordinates22°23′17″N 71°01′42″E
Maps
Proposed location in Gujarat
Proposed location in Gujarat
HSR
Location in Gujarat
Proposed location in Gujarat
Proposed location in Gujarat
HSR
HSR (India)
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
05/23[2] 9,974 3,040 Asphalt

Flight operations began from 10 September 2023, by shifting all flight operations to this airport from the existing Rajkot Airport. As of September 2023, the airport serves to only domestic destinations, with international destinations expected to begin by the end of 2023.[6]

History

The site clearance approval for the airport was granted by the Government of India in May 2017. Prime Minister Narendra Modi presided over the groundbreaking ceremony held on 7 October 2017. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) accorded environmental clearance (EC) to the project on 10 October 2017.[7]

Land acquisition issues delayed the tendering process by a few months.[8] Afcons, Dilip Buildcon, Gayatri Projects, Larsen & Toubro and Reliance Infrastructure were among the bidders for the Engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) tender floated by the Airports Authority of India (AAI). The financial bids were opened on 9 August 2018 and Dilip Buildcon emerged as the lowest bidder. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs gave its approval for the project on 28 February 2019.[9] Subsequently, in March 2019, Reliance Infrastructure was awarded the EPC contract worth ₹648 crore (US$81 million) to construct the airport. The construction was given a completion deadline of within 30 months.[10] The contract also requires the contractor to provide operation and maintenance services for a period of two years following the commissioning of the project.[4] The Central Government had initially sanctioned ₹1,405 crore (US$180 million) for the project,[11] but revised the amount in June 2019 to ₹2,654 crore (US$330 million).[5] [12]

The airport was expected to be completed and opened on 31 December 2023. However, it was completed before time in the last quarter of June 2023, and was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 27 July 2023.[1]

Infrastructure

The airport is capable of handling Airbus A380, Boeing 747 and Boeing 777[13][14] type of widebody aircraft, and has a rainwater harvesting system, solar power system and a green belt along its periphery to act as a noise barrier. It has a built-up area of 23,000 sq.m. and has an Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower, four aerobridges, an apron suitable for parking of 14 aircraft, three conveyor belts, 20 check-in counters, advanced firefighting systems along with modern and efficient passenger facilities. It will be capable of serving over 1,800 passengers during peak hours.The airport, measuring 2,534 acres (10.25 km2), is situated 36 km from the existing Rajkot Airport, whose capacity is constrained and cannot be expanded because of urban growth around it.[15][16][1]

Airlines and destinations
AirlinesDestinations
Air India[6]Delhi, Mumbai
IndiGo[6]Bangalore, Delhi, Goa–Mopa,[17] Indore, Mumbai, Pune, Udaipur

See also

References
  1. Sen, Anindita (27 July 2023). "Gujarat gets first Greenfield Airport! PM Modi inaugurates international airport near Rajkot". The Financial Express. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  2. "Environmental Impact Assessment Study" (PDF). Engineers India Limited. 28 August 2017. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  3. "Brief Description New Greenfield Airport at Rajkot" (PDF). Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  4. "RInfra emerges lowest bidder for greenfield Hirasar airport in Gujarat". The Hindu Business Line. 14 August 2018. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  5. "Rs 7,737 crore okayed for Dholera, Hirasar airports". The Times of India. 29 June 2019. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  6. Mondal, Anish (10 September 2023). "Gujarat: Rajkot International Airport starts functioning, IndiGo to operate all its services from here – Details inside". The Financial Express. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  7. "New Rajkot airport gets green nod". The Times of India. 14 October 2017. Retrieved 14 October 2017.
  8. "Land acquisition delays new airport tender". The Times of India. 4 April 2018. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  9. "Cabinet approves development of New Greenfield International Airport at Hirasar, Rajkot, Gujarat". Press Information Bureau. 28 February 2019. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  10. "Reliance Infrastructure Limited wins bid for greenfield airport in Rajkot for ₹ 648 crore". The Hindu. 5 March 2019. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  11. "Narendra Modi in Gujarat: PM presides over 'bhumi pujan' of greenfield airport at Hirasar near Rajkot". Firstpost. 7 October 2017. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  12. Dilip Buildcon bags Rajkot Greenfield International Airport Project https://www.airport-technology.com/news/dilip-buildcon-hirasar-greenfield/
  13. Rajkot's new airport runway is capable of handling wide body aircraft like B777 & A380 https://www.airport-technology.com/news/aai-rajkot-greenfield-airport/
  14. Aircraft Runway Requirements https://aircyber.weebly.com/aircraft-runway-requirements.html
  15. "Greenfield Airport in Rajkot to be operational by 2023 end". The Economic Times. 4 January 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  16. "Gujarat's Hirasar airport to soon begin flight operations – Here's all you need to know about state's largest airport".
  17. "INDIGO 1H23 DOMESTIC ROUTES ADDITION SUMMARY – 05MAR23". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
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