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Ahmedabad Airport

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Ahmedabad Airport, officially Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (IATA: AMD, ICAO: VAAH), is an international airport serving the twin cities of Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar in Gujarat, India. It is named after Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the first Deputy Prime Minister of India. The airport is the busiest and largest airport in the state of Gujarat, and is the seventh busiest airport in India.

Ahmedabad Airport

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerAirports Authority of India
OperatorAhmedabad International Airport Limited[1]
Serves
LocationHansol, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
Opened1937; 87 years ago (1937)
Focus city forAir India
Operating base forIndiGo
Elevation AMSL58 m / 189 ft
Coordinates23°04′38″N 072°38′05″E / 23.07722°N 72.63472°E / 23.07722; 72.63472
Websiteahmedabad.adaniairports.com
Maps
AMD/VAAH is located in Ahmedabad
AMD/VAAH
AMD/VAAH
AMD/VAAH is located in Gujarat
AMD/VAAH
AMD/VAAH
AMD/VAAH is located in India
AMD/VAAH
AMD/VAAH
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
05/23 3,505 11,499 Asphalt/Concrete
Statistics (April 2023 - March 2024)
Passengers11,696,227 (Increase 15.4%)
Aircraft movements87,025 (Increase 8.7%)
Cargo tonnage106,906 (Increase 15.8%)
Source: AAI[2][3][4]

In fiscal year 2023-24, it handled over 11 million passengers, making it the seventh-busiest airport in terms of passenger traffic in India.[5] The airport serves as a focus city for Air India and an operating base for IndiGo. In 2015, the government started the procedure for the privatisation of the airport. The new Dholera International Airport is being developed due to expansion constraints at the current airport.

Vaikundaraja.s
Ahmedabad Airport Terminal 1

History

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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 March 2004, Air India commenced service to London's Heathrow Airport on a Boeing 747. The flight catered to the large Gujarati community in the United Kingdom.[7][8] The carrier ended it in October 2008.[9] The following June, Air India began a route to Frankfurt using 747s.[10] The link lasted until November 2010.[11][12]

The new Terminal 2 was inaugurated for handling international passengers in 2010. A 18-foot-tall (5.5 m) statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was also inaugurated at the airport.[13][14] In August 2016, Air India reinstated direct service to London-Heathrow aboard a Boeing 787. Of the four weekly flights, three continued on to Newark.[15][16] In March 2017 a 700 kWp rooftop solar plant was commissioned at the airport.[17] Air India stopped operating the London–Newark service in November 2018.[18]

In November 2018, the Central Government cleared a proposal by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) for leasing out six of its airports, including Ahmedabad. The following month, AAI commenced an international competitive bidding process to award Operations, Management and Development (OMD) contracts for the six airports.[19] Seven companies participated in the bidding process for Ahmedabad airport. These included Adani Enterprises Limited, Sydney, Australia-based AMP Capital Investors (UK) Limited, Autostrade, GMR Airports Limited, I Investments Ltd, PNC Infrastructure Ltd and Sanna Enterprises.[20]

The bidding process that was won by the Adani Group.[21] Subsequent to the selection of Adani Enterprises Limited (AEL) as the “Selected Bidder”, AEL promoted and incorporated the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) – Ahmedabad International Airport Limited (AIAL), as the concessionaire under the Companies Act, 2013 in accordance with the terms of the RFP.[22] AIAL signed the Concession Agreement with AAI for exclusive right to operate, manage and develop Ahmedabad Airport on 14 February 2020.[23]

Structure

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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.[24]

The new terminal has a half-kilometre-long moving walkway, which connects the two terminals.[25] Airports Authority of India (AAI) will construct a new technical block which will enhance the flight handling capacity and provide better control of flights.[26]

Runway

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The airport has a single runway that is 3,505 metres (11,499 ft) long.[27]

Air traffic control tower

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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.[28]

Terminals

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Terminal 1

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Terminal 1 is used for domestic flights and 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 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

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Interior view of Terminal 2
 
Exterior view of Terminal 2

Terminal 2 was inaugurated on 5 July 2010 and opened for international flights 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.[29] 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 the international departures area of Terminal 2, which caters for business class and first class passengers as well as passengers holding Priority Pass and other bank cards. 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.

Cargo Terminal

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The airport handled 51,637 tonnes of cargo, inclusive of gold and silver in 2013–14. Sixty per cent of the cargo comes from domestic sources.[30] 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.[31] In 2014, it was announced that the airport would be getting a dedicated cargo terminal which is expected to come up at Terminal 3.[30]

Airlines and destinations

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Passenger

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AirlinesDestinations
AirAsia Kuala Lumpur–International[32]
Air Arabia Abu Dhabi,[33] Sharjah[34]
Air India Bangalore, Delhi, Goa–Dabolim, London–Gatwick,[35] Mumbai
Akasa Air[36] Abu Dhabi (begins 1 March 2025),[37] Bangalore, Delhi, Goa–Mopa, Gwalior, Jeddah[38],Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune, Siliguri
Alliance Air[39] Delhi, Indore, Keshod,[40] Udaipur[41]
Emirates Dubai–International[42]
Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi[43]
Flydubai Dubai–International[44]
IndiGo Abu Dhabi,[45] Amritsar, Ayodhya,[46] Bangalore, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Dehradun, Delhi, Diu,[47] Dubai–International, Goa–Dabolim, Goa–Mopa,[48] Guwahati (resumes 10 December 2024),[49] Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Jaisalmer,[50] Jammu,[citation needed] Jeddah,[51] Jodhpur,[52] Kochi, Kolkata, Kuwait City, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, Nashik,[53] Patna, Pune, Raipur, Ranchi, Srinagar, Thiruvananthapuram (begins 1 December 2024),[54] Varanasi
Iraqi Airways Najaf
Jazeera Airways Kuwait City[55]
Kuwait Airways Kuwait City[56]
Malaysia Airlines Kuala Lumpur–International[57]
Qatar Airways Doha[58]
Singapore Airlines Singapore[59]
SpiceJet[60] Ayodhya,[61] Chennai, Delhi, Dubai–International, Goa–Mopa, Jaipur,[62] Jeddah, Kolkata,[63] Patna,Pune, Siliguri
Seasonal: Jaisalmer[60]
Star Air Belgaum, Bhuj, Kolhapur,[64] Nagpur,[65] Nanded[66]
Thai AirAsia Bangkok–Don Mueang[67]
Thai Airways International Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi[68]
Thai Lion Air Bangkok–Don Mueang[69][70]
VietJet Air Da Nang, Hanoi,[71] Ho Chi Minh City[72]

Cargo

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AirlinesDestinationsRefs.
Blue Dart Aviation Delhi, Mumbai [73]
Emirates SkyCargo Dubai–Al Maktoum
Ethiopian Airlines Cargo Addis Ababa
Qatar Airways Cargo Doha [74]
Turkish Cargo Istanbul

Statistics

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Annual passenger traffic at AMD airport. See Wikidata query.

Future

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Due to growing demands and rise in passenger traffic, the airport will get a third passenger terminal just beside Terminal 1, by shifting the present cargo terminal to beside Terminal 2, which will increase the airport's capacity. After that, the airport could not be further expanded due to limited space for the future. To solve this problem, a new airport at Dholera, which is being developed into a new smart city, located 107 km (66 mi) south-west from the present airport, is under construction, which will be the biggest airport in Gujarat with two parallel runways. Being developed in three phases, the first phase of the airport will be completed by December 2025.[75]

Awards

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The airport was awarded as the Most Improved Airport in the Asia-Pacific Region by the Airports Council International in 2017.[76] In 2019, it received three awards for the Best Airport for Customer Service, Best Airport for Environment and Ambience and Best Airport for Infrastructure and Facilitation from the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Survey for 2019 conducted by Airports Council International.[77]

Accidents and incidents

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  • 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.[78]
  • In January 2018, a stray cow on the runway had caused chaos at airport leading to two planes aborting their landings. The cow crept past security at a cargo gate at the airport resulting in a cargo plane being diverted to Mumbai and delaying five domestic flights and several departures. It took over 90 minutes for the security personnel to clear the runway from the cow.[79][80][81]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Ahmedabad International Airport". cbonds.com. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  2. ^ "Annexure III – Passenger Data" (PDF). aai.aero. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  3. ^ "Annexure II – Aircraft Movement Data" (PDF). aai.aero. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  4. ^ "Annexure IV – Freight Movement Data" (PDF). aai.aero. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  5. ^ "Leading airports across India in financial year 2020, by number of passengers handled(in millions)". statista. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
  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. ^ "London non-stops for Air India". Airline Business. 31 March 2004. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  8. ^ "A-I to begin London-Ahmedabad flights". Times of India. Press Trust of India. 7 March 2004. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  9. ^ "AI terminates Ahmedabad-London flight". The Indian Express. 25 October 2008. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  10. ^ "Now, a direct Air India flight from A'bad to Frankfurt". Times of India. 1 June 2009. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  11. ^ "Air India cuts Frankfurt scissor hub from end of October". Anna.aero. 15 September 2010. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  12. ^ Kumar, Manish (26 August 2010). "Flying to Europe, US: Some good news, some bad". The Times of India. ProQuest 747112701.
  13. ^ "Praful Patel inaugurates Sardar Patel's statue at Ahmedabad airport". Daily News and Analysis. Ahmedabad. 10 January 2011. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  14. ^ "New building to be used as international terminal: AAI". Times of India. Ahmedabad. 1 September 2010. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  15. ^ "Air India resumes Ahmedabad to London route". Anna.aero. 16 August 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  16. ^ Chauhan, Ashish (16 August 2016). "Air India launches Ahmedabad to Newark flight". The Times of India. ProQuest 1811426609.
  17. ^ "Airport rooftop solar array joins power grid". The Times of India. 22 March 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  18. ^ "Air India says no new international routes from Chandigarh till disinvestment procedure is over". The Indian Express. 11 October 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  19. ^ "AAI seeks bids for six airports, to finalise bidders on February 28". The Economic Times. 17 December 2018. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  20. ^ "AAI seeks bids for six airports, to finalise bidders on February 28". The Times of India. 17 February 2019. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  21. ^ "Adani group wins bids to operate 5 airports for 50 years". The Times of India. 25 February 2019. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  22. ^ "Multi Year Tariff Proposal" (PDF). AERA.Gov.in. 4 February 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
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  26. ^ Jha, Satish (15 December 2009). "Rs 90 crore for new air traffic control block at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport". DNA. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  27. ^ Jain, Ankur (20 March 2011). "Runway repair at Ahmedabad airport to hit summer travel". Times of India. Ahmedabad. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  28. ^ Jha, Satish (17 January 2011). "Air traffic control at Ahmedabad airport to be automated". DNA. Ahmedabad. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  29. ^ Jha, Satish (1 February 2011). "New Ahmedabad airport terminal wins award". Daily News and Analysis. Ahmedabad. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  30. ^ a b Mishra, Piyush (16 July 2014). "Ahmedabad airport to get dedicated cargo terminal". Times of India. Ahmedabad. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  31. ^ Mishra, Piyush (15 July 2014). "Ahmedabad airport's perishable cargo centre to begin services soon". Times of India. Ahmedabad. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  32. ^ "AirAsia NS24 India Network Additions". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  33. ^ "Air Arabia Abu Dhabi Further Expands India Service Mid-May 2022". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
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  36. ^ "Akasa Air Flight Network". Akasa Air. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
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  38. ^ "Akasa Air Adds Jeddah from July 2024". Akasa Air. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
  39. ^ "Flight Schedule". Alliance Air. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  40. ^ "Alliance Air to commence Ahmedabad-Keshod service in Oct-2024". CAPA. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
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  44. ^ "Flydubai Resumption of Flights". Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  45. ^ "IndiGo launches new flights to Abu Dhabi from Lucknow, Ahmedabad; details here". Moneycontrol. 30 June 2023. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  46. ^ "IndiGo to launch flights to Ayodhya from 10 January". JetArena. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  47. ^ "IndiGo's newest connection: Diu linked directly to Ahmedabad & Surat". United News of India. 10 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  48. ^ "Goa's 2nd international airport starts operations, first flight lands from Hyderabad". The New Indian Express. 5 January 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  49. ^ "IndiGo to start flights to 4 more cities from Ahmedabad next month". DeshGujarat. 8 November 2024. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  50. ^ Sengupta, Joy (21 August 2023). "IndiGo announces connectivity to Jaisalmer". The Times of India. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  51. ^ "IndiGo announces six new international routes". 19 May 2023.
  52. ^ "IndiGo Ahmedabad Jodhpur". IndiGo. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  53. ^ "Indigo 1H23 Domestic Routes Addition Summary – 05MAR23". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
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  55. ^ "JAZEERA AIRWAYS RESUMES 2 INDIA ROUTES IN 4Q24". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
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  58. ^ "Qatar Airways Route Map". Retrieved 7 December 2021.
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  60. ^ a b "SpiceJet Flight Schedule". SpiceJet. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
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  62. ^ "SpiceJet adds another Ahmedabad-Jaipur direct flight". deshgujarat. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
  63. ^ "List of SpiceJet Flights from Kolkata for 2023". SpiceJet. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  64. ^ "Star Air India to commence Ahmedabad-Kolhapur service in Oct-2024". CAPA. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
  65. ^ "Star Air India to commence Ahmedabad-Nagpur service in Nov-2023". CAPA. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  66. ^ "Flight Schedule". Star Air. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  67. ^ "Thai AirAsia to resume flights to Ahmedabad from October 10". JetArena. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  68. ^ "Thai Smile Moves Ahmedabad Service to Thai From Sep 2023". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  69. ^ "Thai Lion Air to launch Ahmedabad-Bangkok direct flight from August".
  70. ^ "Thai Lion Air Adds Ahmedabad From August 2024". AeroRoutes. 17 July 2024. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
  71. ^ "Flights from Hanoi to Ahmedabad". VietJet.
  72. ^ "Flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Ahmedabad". VietJet.
  73. ^ "Destinations, Blue Dart Aviation". Archived from the original on 28 July 2020. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  74. ^ "Qatar Airways Cargo to launch freighter service to Ahmedabad on Feb 3". Gulf Times. 19 January 2015. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  75. ^ "Greenfield Airport at Dholera likely to be ready by December 2025: Govt". Dholera Metro City. 6 February 2023. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  76. ^ "Ahmedabad airport on a new high as most improved airport in Asia Pacific region". The Times of India. 12 March 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  77. ^ "Ahmedabad airport bags three international awards". The Times of India. 9 September 2019. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  78. ^ "Plane's nose wheel collapses, passengers safe". IBNLive.com. Archived from the original on 25 July 2010. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
  79. ^ "'Mad cow' on runway causes chaos at airport". The Independent. 12 January 2018. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
  80. ^ "Cow enters Indian airport, prevents flights from taking off and landing". AsiaOne. 13 January 2018. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
  81. ^ "Nobody moove! cow causes chaos at Indian airport". Al Arabiya English. 13 January 2018. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
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