Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (IATA: HYD, ICAO: VOHS) is an international airport that serves Hyderabad, the largest city in the Indian state of Telangana. It is located in Shamshabad, about 24 kilometres (15 mi) south of Hyderabad. The airport is operated by GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd, a public-private venture. It was opened in March 2008 to replace Begumpet Airport as the primary commercial airport for Hyderabad. It is named after Rajiv Gandhi, former Prime Minister of India.
The airport has one passenger terminal, a cargo terminal and two runways. There are also aviation training facilities, a fuel farm, a solar power plant and two MRO facilities. As of 2017, RGIA is the sixth busiest airport by passenger traffic in India. The airport served 15.1 million passengers between 2016 April - 2017 March. The airport serves as a hub for Air India Regional, Blue Dart Aviation, SpiceJet, Lufthansa Cargo, Quikjet Cargo, and TruJet, and as a focus city for IndiGo and Air India.
Video Rajiv Gandhi International Airport
History
Planning (1997-2004)
The existing commercial airport, Begumpet Airport, was unable to handle rising passenger traffic. The State Government initially considered converting Hakimpet Air Force Station to civilian use; however, the Air Force refused. When the State proposed the construction of a new airport for the Air Force, the Ministry of Defence suggested the State consider sites south of Begumpet Airport. By October 1998, the State had narrowed down to three possible locations for the new airport: Bongloor, Nadergul and Shamshabad. Due to its convenient location near two highways (NH 44 and NH 765) and a railway line, Shamshabad was selected in December 1998.
In November 2000, the State Government and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) signed a memorandum of understanding on the airport project, establishing it as a public-private partnership. The State and AAI together would hold a 26% stake in the project, while the remaining 74% would be allotted to private companies. Through a bidding process, a consortium consisting of GMR Group and Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) was chosen as the holder of the 74% stake. In December 2002, Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (HIAL), later renamed GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited (GHIAL), was created as a special purpose entity, into which the State, AAI and GMR-MAHB placed their stakes.
In September 2003, the members of GHIAL signed a shareholders' agreement, as well as an agreement for state subsidy of over INR400 crore (US$62 million). A concession agreement between GHIAL and the Central Government was signed in December 2004, stipulating that no airport within a 150-kilometre (93 mi) radius of RGIA could be operated. Thus, the closure of Begumpet Airport was required.
Construction and opening (2005-2008)
Construction began on 16 March 2005 when Sonia Gandhi laid the foundation stone. Two days prior, the Central Government had named the airport after former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, who had undergone pilot training in Hyderabad. The naming resulted in opposition from the Telugu Desam Party (TDP). At Begumpet Airport, the international terminal was named after Rajiv Gandhi while the domestic terminal was named after TDP founder N. T. Rama Rao; the TDP wanted to continue this naming convention at the new airport. However, the new airport has only one terminal.
Roughly three years after the foundation stone laying ceremony, the airport was inaugurated on 14 March 2008 amid protests. The Telugu Desam Party repeated its demand for the naming of the domestic terminal. In addition, on 12 and 13 March, 20,000 AAI employees had conducted a strike against the closure of Begumpet Airport, as well as that of HAL Airport in Bangalore, fearing they would lose their jobs.
RGIA was originally scheduled to open to commercial operations on 16 March 2008; however, the date was delayed due to protests from some airlines over the high ground handling rates at the airport. Once the rates were reduced, the launch date was set for 23 March 2008. Although Lufthansa Flight 752 from Frankfurt was scheduled to be the first flight to land at RGIA, two SpiceJet flights landed earlier. However, the Lufthansa flight still received the planned ceremonial welcome upon its 12:25 am arrival.
Later developments (2009-present)
In September 2011, SpiceJet launched its regional hub at RGIA, using its new Bombardier Q400 aircraft. The airline, which chose Hyderabad due to its central location in the country, flies to several Tier-II and Tier-III cities from the airport. Regional airline TruJet too opened a hub at RGIA upon commencing operations in July 2015.
In November 2014, the Ministry of Civil Aviation resolved that the domestic terminal of RGIA would be named after N. T. Rama Rao, resulting in protests from members of the Rajya Sabha. Airport officials remained unsure as to how the naming would occur.
Maps Rajiv Gandhi International Airport
Ownership
RGIA is owned and operated by GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL), a public-private venture. It is composed of public entities Airports Authority of India (13%) and the Government of Telangana (13%), as well as a private consortium between GMR Group (63%) and Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (11%). Per the concession agreement between GHIAL and the Central Government, GHIAL has the right to operate the airport for 30 years, with the option to continue doing so for another 30 years.
Airfield
The airport has two runways:
- Runway 09L/27R: 3,707 by 45 metres (12,162 ft × 148 ft).
- Runway 09R/27L: 4,260 by 60 metres (13,980 ft × 200 ft), ILS equipped.
Runway 09R/27L, the original and primary runway, is long enough to be able to receive the Airbus A380, the world's largest passenger aircraft. Originally a taxiway, runway 09L/27R was inaugurated in February 2012. Its shorter length and width allow it to handle smaller aircraft such as the Airbus A340 and Boeing 747. It is mainly used when runway 09R/27L is undergoing maintenance, and as air traffic to the airport rises it will be used more often. North of these runways are the three parking aprons: the cargo, passenger terminal and MRO aprons. The passenger terminal apron contains parking stands on both the north and south sides of the terminal.
Terminal
RGIA has a single passenger terminal, which covers 105,300 square feet (9,780 m2) and has a capacity for 12 million passengers per year. The western side of the terminal handles international flights while the eastern side is for domestic operations. There are 46 immigration counters and 96 check-in desks with 19 kiosks for self check-in. There is a total of nine gates, seven of which are located on the south side of the terminal and the other two on the north side. Three gates are each equipped with two jetways to accelerate the handling of widebody aircraft. Public lounge facilities are provided by Plaza Premium Lounge, which operates three lounges in the terminal; there are also three separate lounges for VIPs. The pre-security "airport village" is a meeting point for passenger pick-up.
Airlines and destinations
Passenger
Cargo
- Blue Dart Aviation
- Cathay Pacific Cargo
- Lufthansa Cargo
- Qatar Airways Cargo
- Thai Cargo
- Turkish Airlines Cargo
- Quikjet Cargo
Statistics
GMR Aerospace Park
The GMR Aerospace Park contains several facilities primarily related to the aviation sector. It has a 250-acre (100 ha) special economic zone, which includes a 20-acre (8.1 ha) Free Trade and Warehousing Zone, as well as a domestic tariff area.
Aviation training
The GMR Aviation Academy is located in the park. It was established in 2009 in co-operation with the International Air Transport Association (IATA), International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), Airports Council International (ACI) and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The academy offers programmes related to airport operations, which are accredited by the listed organisations. The park also includes the Asia Pacific Flight Training (APFT) academy, an initiative of GMR Group and Asia Pacific Flight Training. Launched in 2013, it provides pilot training courses.
GMR Aero Technic Ltd MRO
The MRO operated by GMR Aero Technic Ltd is one of two MROs at the airport. Built at a cost of INR350 crore (US$55 million) and inaugurated in March 2012, the facility can handle up to five aircraft simultaneously. Initially, the MRO was a joint venture between GMR Group and Malaysian Aerospace Engineering (MAE), a subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines. However, amid its parent's poor financial situation following the Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 incident, MAE was unable to fund the MRO, which had been accruing losses. GMR bought out MAE's stake in December 2014.
GMR Aero Technic Ltd is the only one MRO in private sector in India with extensive capability to maintain Airbus A320 family aircraft, Boeing 737, ATR 72/42 and Bombardier DHC Q400 aircraft. GMR Aero Technic is a world class aircraft maintenance organisation approved by EASA and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (India) and various Civil Aviation Authorities and one of the few MROs certified for AS9110 standards in South East Asia region.
Other facilities
Air India MRO
The other MRO is operated by Air India Engineering Services Limited (AIESL), a subsidiary of Air India. Spread over 5 acres (2.0 ha), the facility cost INR79 crore (US$12 million) to construct and was opened in May 2015.
Cargo terminal
The cargo terminal is located west of the passenger terminal. It covers 14,330 square metres (154,200 sq ft) and can handle 150,000 tonnes (170,000 short tons) of cargo annually. The terminal is operated by Hyderabad Menzies Air Cargo Pvt Ltd, a joint venture between GHIAL (51%) and Menzies Aviation (49%). Within the terminal is the Pharma Zone, a temperature-controlled facility designed for storing pharmaceuticals. The first such facility to be opened at an Indian airport, it is important to RGIA as pharmaceuticals account for 70% of exports from the airport. In May 2011, Lufthansa Cargo launched its first pharma hub at the airport.
Fuel farm
The airport has a fuel farm consisting of three storage tanks, with a total capacity for 13,500 kilolitres (480,000 cu ft) of jet fuel. The tanks are connected to the apron via underground pipelines. Reliance Industries built and operates the farm, which can be used by any oil company under an open-access model.
Solar power plant
In January 2016, GHIAL commissioned a 5 MW solar power plant near RGIA, which will be used to serve the airport's energy needs. It was built over 24 acres (9.7 ha) at a cost of INR30 crore (US$4.7 million). Over the following two to three years, the capacity of the plant will be raised to 30 MW, allowing RGIA to become fully solar powered.
Airport hotel
The Novotel Hyderabad Airport, located 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) from RGIA, was opened in October 2008. The hotel includes 305 rooms, two restaurants and a lounge for aircrew. It was initially owned by GHIAL before being shifted to subsidiary GMR Hotels and Resorts Ltd. Owing to high losses from low occupancy, GMR began seeking buyers of the hotel in August 2015.
Connectivity
Road
RGIA is connected to the city of Hyderabad by NH 44, NH 765 and the Outer Ring Road. In October 2009, the PV Narasimha Rao Expressway was completed between Mehdipatnam and Rajendranagar, where it joins NH 44. The longest flyover in India at 11.6 kilometres (7.2 mi), it has reduced travel time between the airport and the city to 30-40 minutes.
The "Pushpak - Airport Liner" service of the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation provides bus transportation to different parts of the city. It was launched in December 2012 to replace GMR's Aero Express service.
Rail
Under the second phase of the Hyderabad Metro Rail project, a 28-kilometre (17 mi) rail link between Raidurg/Gachibowli and RGIA will be constructed. As of late 2015, feasibility studies on the phase are underway.
The closest Indian Railways station is Umdanagar.
Future plans
The master plan of the airport project encompasses three phases, with the first phase completed upon the opening of the airport in 2008. The ultimate goal is to raise the capacity to 40 million passengers per year.
Second phase
In 2009, GHIAL decided to postpone the second phase due to lower growth in passenger traffic than anticipated. The phase was revived in late 2015, as the airport is expected to reach its capacity in 2016. The first leg of this phase will bring the capacity to 18 million passengers annually, and the second leg will raise it to 20 million. The passenger terminal will be enlarged with additional security lanes, check-in counters and other facilities, and solar panels will be built on the roof. On October 2017 GHIAL CEO SGK Kishore confirmed that the airport expansion would start by January 2018 and it is expected to completed by the end of 2019. [1]
Third phase
The final phase of expansion will increase the terminal capacity to 40 million passengers annually.
See also
- List of airports in Telangana
References
External links
Media related to Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Wikimedia Commons
- Official website
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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