Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport
Encyclopedia
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport is India
's eighth busiest airport with an average of 250 aircraft movements a day. It services the metropolitan areas of two cities in the State
of Gujarat - Ahmedabad
and Gandhinagar. The airport is located 8 km (5 mi) from the Ahmedabad Railway Station
. It is named after statesman and former Deputy Prime Minister
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
. The airport is spread over an area of 1124 acres (4.5 km²) with the runway measuring 11811 ft (3,600 m).
The airport is a focus city for several Indian carriers which include Air India
, IndiGo
, Jet Airways
, Kingfisher
and SpiceJet
.
The airport was under renovation and now has 45 parking bays and both the international and domestic terminals have four aero-bridges each. The new terminal has been modelled on the Singapore Changi Airport
, a major aviation hub in the Asia-Pacific region.
The new terminal has many firsts for the airport, including a half-kilometre-long moving walkway
, which connects the two terminals, making the changeover of flights hassle-free. This will also help in making the airport as an international transit hub, in turn, reducing the burden at the Delhi and Mumbai airports. It will also have sufficient room to welcome the world’s largest commercial aircraft, the Airbus A380
. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) will spend Rs90 crore to construct a brand new technical block which will enhance the flight handling capacity and provide better control of flights.
The airport handled 2.4 million passengers in 2007-08 and is expected to handle six million passengers in 2010 and nine million in 2012, including both domestic and international passengers. Of the total traffic at Ahmedabad Airport, 75% is domestic and 25% is international. The airport well meets the standards set by the Airports Authority of India
(AAI), the International Civil Aviation Organization
(ICAO) and the International Air Transport Association
(IATA).
counters. The total floor area is approximately 45000 sq. meters. The terminal building has two floors. The arrival and departure areas are separated vertically with a modern, simple, straight-ahead flow system. The ground floor has three boarding gates
and first floor has four aero-bridges. The check-in facilities and baggage reclaim are located on level 1 (ground floor). The terminal is designed for ease of operation and minimum maintenance. It also has restaurants, book shops, retail outlets and a VIP Lounge. The arrivals section has three luggage belts, a snack counter, bureau de change
, ground transport desks and a VIP Lounge. There are approximately 250 car parking spaces positioned at the Terminal 1. Additional car parking services are currently going through construction. The terminal building is designed to accommodate 1400 passengers at peak hour. The design reflects the best industry practice and caters for 24-hour-operations, under all weather conditions.
Recently , the Wi-Fi systems were installed in the building to provide internet access to flyers.
, was inaugurated on 4 July 2010 and opened for use on 15 September 2010. The design of the airport was secured through a design competition. The Terminal building is conceived as a distinctive roofline, making reference to the recognisable form of kites associated with an international festival held in the city. The kite-shaped cutouts form skylights, while the surrounding surface area is a membrane of ceiling finish from below and roofing above. The new terminal has both the arrival and the departure sections.
The terminal has four aerobridges and 32 check-in counters for different airlines. 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. The new 51,975 sq m apron area can cater for the parking of 9 A-321 and 4 ATR-72 type of aircraft. Ahmedabad is the only airport in western India to be equipped with travelators. The travelator, which is 11 metres wide and 410 metres long, has been put in place in an air-conditioned tunnel at a cost of Rs 80 crore. There is space for 900 cars to be parked, which is double the combined parking capacity of the old domestic and international terminals. The car parking will be handled by electronically operated gates with provision of computerised ticketing.
The total cost of the two-phase project is Rs 290.92 crore (Phase I: Rs. 195.92 crore and Phase II Rs. 95.00 crore). The Italian Thai Development (ITD)-Pratibha Consortium, Mumbai took the first phase work for the terminal building measuring 225 x 88 metres. The second phase of the extension work of the terminal building of 45 x 88 metres is being done by Khurana Engineering Limited.
The project has been planned according to IATA norms for various facilities and intelligent building management systems.
pilgrims during the 2 months of Hajj season. There are approximately 200 car parking spaces positioned at this terminal. The terminal building is small and is designed to accommodate 500 passengers at peak hour. The total floor area is approximately 7825 sq. metres. The arrivals hall consists of one entry gate and two luggage belts. Most of the facilities available at this terminal have been moved to the new International Terminal.
bus routes to cover the Airport. A direct metro rail linking the airport with the city centre is also being considered.
, near the port town of Dholera
in the Gulf of Khambhat
is under consideration.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
's eighth busiest airport with an average of 250 aircraft movements a day. It services the metropolitan areas of two cities in the State
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...
of Gujarat - Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad...
and Gandhinagar. The airport is located 8 km (5 mi) from the Ahmedabad Railway Station
Ahmedabad Railway Station
Ahmedabad Railway Station is the main railway station of Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. It is also the biggest & busiest railway station within Gujarat...
. It is named after statesman and former Deputy Prime Minister
Deputy Prime Minister of India
The Deputy Prime Minister of India is a member of the Indian cabinet in the Indian government. The post is not a constitutional post and seldom carries any specific powers. Generally a Deputy Prime Minister also holds other key portfolios like Home minister or Finance Minister...
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel was an Indian barrister and statesman, one of the leaders of the Indian National Congress and one of the founding fathers of India...
. The airport is spread over an area of 1124 acres (4.5 km²) with the runway measuring 11811 ft (3,600 m).
The airport is a focus city for several Indian carriers which include Air India
Air India
Air India is the flag carrier airline of India. It is part of the government of India owned Air India Limited . The airline operates a fleet of Airbus and Boeing aircraft serving Asia, Australia, Europe and North America. Its corporate office is located at the Air India Building at Nariman...
, IndiGo
Indigo
Indigo is a color named after the purple dye derived from the plant Indigofera tinctoria and related species. The color is placed on the electromagnetic spectrum between about 420 and 450 nm in wavelength, placing it between blue and violet...
, Jet Airways
Jet Airways
Jet Airways is a major Indian airline based in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It is India's largest airline and the market leader in the domestic sector. It operates over 400 flights daily to 76 destinations worldwide. Its main hub is Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, with secondary hubs at Delhi,...
, Kingfisher
Kingfisher Airlines
Kingfisher Airlines is an airline group based in India. Its head office is Kingfisher House in Vile Parle , Mumbai. Kingfisher Airlines, through its parent company United Breweries Group, has a 50% stake in low-cost carrier Kingfisher Red....
and SpiceJet
SpiceJet
SpiceJet is a low-cost airline headquartered in Gurgaon, India. It began service in May 2005 and by 2008, it was India's second-largest low-cost airline in terms of market share. SpiceJet was voted as the best low-cost airline in South Asia and Central Asia region by Skytrax in...
.
The airport
The airport currently consists of four terminals: domestic, international, an additional terminal for secondary traffic and a cargo terminal. The fourth terminal has been inaugurated and is now operational. The Cargo and the domestic terminals use the same airside facilities but are physically separated on the landside, requiring a five-minute drive between them whereas the new International terminal has been constructed on the opposite of the land side of the domestic terminal and both the terminals are interconnected by an underground moving walkway.The airport was under renovation and now has 45 parking bays and both the international and domestic terminals have four aero-bridges each. The new terminal has been modelled on the Singapore Changi Airport
Singapore Changi Airport
Singapore Changi Airport , Changi International Airport, or simply Changi Airport, is the main airport in Singapore. A major aviation hub in Southeast Asia, it is about north-east from the commercial centre in Changi, on a site....
, a major aviation hub in the Asia-Pacific region.
The new terminal has many firsts for the airport, including a half-kilometre-long moving walkway
Moving walkway
A moving walkway or moving sidewalk is a slow moving conveyor mechanism that transports people, across a horizontal...
, which connects the two terminals, making the changeover of flights hassle-free. This will also help in making the airport as an international transit hub, in turn, reducing the burden at the Delhi and Mumbai airports. It will also have sufficient room to welcome the world’s largest commercial aircraft, the Airbus A380
Airbus A380
The Airbus A380 is a double-deck, wide-body, four-engine jet airliner manufactured by the European corporation Airbus, a subsidiary of EADS. It is the largest passenger airliner in the world. Due to its size, many airports had to modify and improve facilities to accommodate it...
. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) will spend Rs90 crore to construct a brand new technical block which will enhance the flight handling capacity and provide better control of flights.
The airport handled 2.4 million passengers in 2007-08 and is expected to handle six million passengers in 2010 and nine million in 2012, including both domestic and international passengers. Of the total traffic at Ahmedabad Airport, 75% is domestic and 25% is international. The airport well meets the standards set by the Airports Authority of India
Airports Authority of India
The Airports Authority of India is an organization working under the Ministry of Civil Aviation that manages most of the airports in India. The AAI manages and operates 126 airports including 16 international airports, 89 domestic airports and 26 civil enclaves. The corporate headquarters are at...
(AAI), the International Civil Aviation Organization
International Civil Aviation Organization
The International Civil Aviation Organization , pronounced , , is a specialized agency of the United Nations. It codifies the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth...
(ICAO) and the International Air Transport Association
International Air Transport Association
The International Air Transport Association is an international industry trade group of airlines headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, where the International Civil Aviation Organization is also headquartered. The executive offices are at the Geneva Airport in SwitzerlandIATA's mission is to...
(IATA).
Terminal 1 - Domestic
The departures section of the terminal 1 has 30 check-inAirport check-in
Airport check-in uses service counters found at commercial airports handling commercial air travel. The check-in is normally handled by an airline itself or a handling agent working on behalf of an airline...
counters. The total floor area is approximately 45000 sq. meters. The terminal building has two floors. The arrival and departure areas are separated vertically with a modern, simple, straight-ahead flow system. The ground floor has three boarding gates
Gate (airport)
A gate in aviation is a long, movable, "bridge" that allows passengers to embark and disembark their aircraft.* Jetway bridges* Air stairs, either built into the aircraft or from a mobile vehicle* Mobile lounges...
and first floor has four aero-bridges. The check-in facilities and baggage reclaim are located on level 1 (ground floor). The terminal is designed for ease of operation and minimum maintenance. It also has restaurants, book shops, retail outlets and a VIP Lounge. The arrivals section has three luggage belts, a snack counter, bureau de change
Bureau de Change
A bureau de change or currency exchange is a business whose customers exchange one currency for another. Although originally French, the term bureau de change is widely used throughout Europe, and European travellers can usually easily identify these facilities when in other European countries...
, ground transport desks and a VIP Lounge. There are approximately 250 car parking spaces positioned at the Terminal 1. Additional car parking services are currently going through construction. The terminal building is designed to accommodate 1400 passengers at peak hour. The design reflects the best industry practice and caters for 24-hour-operations, under all weather conditions.
Recently , the Wi-Fi systems were installed in the building to provide internet access to flyers.
Terminal 2 - International
The Rs 316-crore new airport building, inspired by Singapore Changi AirportSingapore Changi Airport
Singapore Changi Airport , Changi International Airport, or simply Changi Airport, is the main airport in Singapore. A major aviation hub in Southeast Asia, it is about north-east from the commercial centre in Changi, on a site....
, was inaugurated on 4 July 2010 and opened for use on 15 September 2010. The design of the airport was secured through a design competition. The Terminal building is conceived as a distinctive roofline, making reference to the recognisable form of kites associated with an international festival held in the city. The kite-shaped cutouts form skylights, while the surrounding surface area is a membrane of ceiling finish from below and roofing above. The new terminal has both the arrival and the departure sections.
The terminal has four aerobridges and 32 check-in counters for different airlines. 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. The new 51,975 sq m apron area can cater for the parking of 9 A-321 and 4 ATR-72 type of aircraft. Ahmedabad is the only airport in western India to be equipped with travelators. The travelator, which is 11 metres wide and 410 metres long, has been put in place in an air-conditioned tunnel at a cost of Rs 80 crore. There is space for 900 cars to be parked, which is double the combined parking capacity of the old domestic and international terminals. The car parking will be handled by electronically operated gates with provision of computerised ticketing.
The total cost of the two-phase project is Rs 290.92 crore (Phase I: Rs. 195.92 crore and Phase II Rs. 95.00 crore). The Italian Thai Development (ITD)-Pratibha Consortium, Mumbai took the first phase work for the terminal building measuring 225 x 88 metres. The second phase of the extension work of the terminal building of 45 x 88 metres is being done by Khurana Engineering Limited.
The project has been planned according to IATA norms for various facilities and intelligent building management systems.
Terminal 3 - Secondary traffic
Following the opening of the new Terminal 2, this terminal building is now used for secondary traffic and for HajjHajj
The Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so...
pilgrims during the 2 months of Hajj season. There are approximately 200 car parking spaces positioned at this terminal. The terminal building is small and is designed to accommodate 500 passengers at peak hour. The total floor area is approximately 7825 sq. metres. The arrivals hall consists of one entry gate and two luggage belts. Most of the facilities available at this terminal have been moved to the new International Terminal.
Cargo Terminal
The Cargo Terminal handles all cargo operations. Of all the cargo handled at Ahmedabad Airport, about 56% is international. After the new terminal becomes operational, there are plans to use the existing international terminal as an additional space for handling cargo operations.Passenger airlines
Cargo Operators
Ground transport
Ahmedabad airport is located 8 km from Ahmedabad Railway station and Central Bus Stand. For the convenience of travellers, there is a prepaid taxi booth at the airport premises itself. The city centre is 15 km south-west of the airport. The Ahmedabad Municipal Transport Service (AMTS) also runs a local bus service to the Airport. There are also plans to extend the Ahmedabad BRTSAhmedabad BRTS
Ahmedabad BRTS is a highly ambitious rapid transport system developed by Gujarat Infrastructure Development Board for the city of Ahmedabad, recognizing that no single mode would cater to the mobility needs of the city and that ‘Bus’ forms the most critical segment of the public transport system...
bus routes to cover the Airport. A direct metro rail linking the airport with the city centre is also being considered.
Ground Handlers
Air Works India, Cambata Aviation, GlobeGround India, National Aviation Company of India LimitedIncidents and accidents
- Indian Airlines Flight 113Indian Airlines Flight 113Indian Airlines Flight 113 was a flight operating from Mumbai to Ahmedabad that crashed on its final approach to Ahmedabad airport on 19 October 1988, killing 130 people . The plane's pilots, Captain Deepak Nagpal and Commander Dallaya both perished in the crash...
operating from MumbaiMumbaiMumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
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 Ahmedabad, 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 AirwaysJet AirwaysJet Airways is a major Indian airline based in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It is India's largest airline and the market leader in the domestic sector. It operates over 400 flights daily to 76 destinations worldwide. Its main hub is Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, with secondary hubs at Delhi,...
Flight 9W2510, coming in from IndoreIndoreIndore is one of the major city in India, the largest city and commercial center of the state of Madhya Pradesh in central India. Indore is located 190 km west of the state capital Bhopal. According to the 2011 Indian census, Indore city has a population of 1,960,631...
, collapsed on the runway while landing at Ahmedabad airport on 22 July 2010. There were 57 passengers and four crew members on board the ATR flight. Some passengers were feared to have received minor injuries but Jet Airways officials declined the speculations. The nose wheel reportedly collapsed due to a tyre burst.
Proposed new airport
A new international airport at FedaraFedara
Fedara is a small village near Dholera in Ahmedabad district in Indian state of Gujarat.Gujarat Government has proposed a new International Airport for Ahmedabad city. The proposed international airport has been strategically located near the planned 335 million USD Port-cum-SEZ project of the...
, near the port town of Dholera
Dholera
Dholera is a town in Gujarat, India. Dholera is an ancient port-city in Gulf of Khambhat, 30 k.m. away from Dhandhuka village of Ahmedabad district. One of the original six temples built by Swaminarayan is located here....
in the Gulf of Khambhat
Gulf of Khambhat
The Gulf of Khambhat is an inlet of the Arabian Sea along the west coast of India, in the state of Gujarat. It is about 80 miles in length, and divides the Kathiawar peninsula to the west from the eastern part of Gujarat state on the east. The Narmada and Tapti rivers empty into the Gulf...
is under consideration.
- Federa, father of all airports
- Federa airport gets wings with govt nod
- Federa airport gets AAI nod
- AAI team inspects site for greenfield airport in Ahmedabad
- GMR, GVK, Changi in race to pilot Fedara airport
- Fedara (Town in Ahmedabad District) airport gets Praful's nod
- Dholera Port project put on a fast track
- New international airport got Gujarat government's nod
External links
- Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at Airports Authority of IndiaAirports Authority of IndiaThe Airports Authority of India is an organization working under the Ministry of Civil Aviation that manages most of the airports in India. The AAI manages and operates 126 airports including 16 international airports, 89 domestic airports and 26 civil enclaves. The corporate headquarters are at...
web site - International airlines winter schedule 2010-11
- Complete album of Ahmedabad airport’s new international terminal 2