Rajkot International Airport is an

international airport An international airport is an airport with customs and border control facilities enabling passengers to travel between countries. International airports are usually larger than domestic airports, and feature longer runways and have faciliti ...

and a

greenfield airport A greenfield airport is an aviation facility with greenfield project characteristics. The designation reflects certain environmental qualities (using previously undeveloped or empty greenfield land, for example) and commissioning, planning and cons ...

at Hirasar,

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, serving the city of

Rajkot Rajkot () is the fourth-largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the ...

and the Saurashtra region of Gujarat. It is located near the National Highway 8B (NH-8B) connecting

Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ), also spelled Amdavad (), is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 ...

and

. It has a single runway for the operation of ‘C’ category aircraft. The airport was developed by the

Airports Authority of India The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is a statutory body under the ownership of the Ministry of Civil Aviation (India), Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India. It is responsible for creating, upgrading, maintaining, and managing civi ...

(AAI) at a cost of . The

foundation stone A cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry Foundation (engineering), foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entir ...

for the construction of the airport was laid on 7 October 2017, and was inaugurated by

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician who has served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India since 2014. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Par ...

on 27 July 2023, which was previously expected to be done on 31 December 2023. Flight operations began from 10 September 2023, by shifting all flight operations to this airport from the existing

Rajkot Airport Rajkot Airport is a public airport serving the city of Rajkot, Gujarat, India. It is operated by the Airports Authority of India (AAI). It was the 4th busiest airport in Gujarat after Ahmedabad, Surat and Vadodara until all scheduled commerci ...

. As of September 2023, the airport serves only domestic destinations, with international destinations expected to begin by the end of 2025.

History

The site clearance approval for the airport was granted by the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

in May 2017.

presided over the groundbreaking ceremony held on 7 October 2017. The

Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) is an Government of India, Indian government Ministry (government department), ministry. The ministry Portfolio (government), portfolio is currently held by Bhupender Yadav, Union ...

(MoEFCC) accorded environmental clearance (EC) to the project on 10 October 2017. Land acquisition issues delayed the tendering process by a few months.

Afcons Afcons Infrastructure Limited is an Indian multinational construction and engineering company based in Mumbai. The company is involved in infrastructure EPC projects such as bridges, flyovers, metros, railway lines, tunnels, highways, ports a ...

Dilip Buildcon
Gayatri Projects,

Larsen & Toubro Larsen & Toubro Limited, abbreviated as L&T, is an Indian multinational conglomerate, with interests in industrial technology, heavy industry, engineering, construction, manufacturing, power, information technology, defence and financial se ...

and

Reliance Infrastructure Reliance Infrastructure Limited (R-Infra), formerly Reliance Energy Limited (REL) and Bombay Suburban Electric Supply (BSES), is an Indian private sector enterprise involved in power generation, infrastructure, construction and defence. It is p ...

were among the bidders for the Engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) tender floated by the

(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. Subsequently, in March 2019, Reliance Infrastructure was awarded the EPC contract worth to construct the airport. The construction was given a completion deadline of within 30 months. The contract also requires the contractor to provide operation and maintenance services for a period of two years following the commissioning of the project. The Central Government had initially sanctioned for the project, but revised the amount in June 2019 to . 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.

Infrastructure

The airport is capable of handling

Airbus A380 The Airbus A380 is a very large wide-body airliner, developed and produced by Airbus until 2021. It is the world's largest passenger airliner and the only full-length double-deck jet airliner. Airbus studies started in 1988, and the pr ...

Airbus A350 The Airbus A350 is a flight length, long-range, wide-body twin-engine airliner developed and produced by Airbus. The initial A350 design proposed in 2004, in response to the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, would have been a development of the Airbu ...

Boeing 777 The Boeing 777, commonly referred to as the Triple Seven, is an American long-range wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The 777 is the world's largest twinjet and the most-built wide-body airliner. ...

Boeing 787 The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is an American wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. After dropping its unconventional Sonic Cruiser project, Boeing announced the conventional 7E7 on January 29, 2003, wh ...

and

Boeing 747 The Boeing 747 is a long-range wide-body aircraft, wide-body airliner designed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the United States between 1968 and 2023. After the introduction of the Boeing 707, 707 in October 1958, Pan Am ...

type of widebody aircraft, and has a

rainwater harvesting Rainwater harvesting (RWH) is the collection and storage of rain, rather than allowing it to run off. Rainwater is collected from a roof-like surface and redirected to a Rainwater tank, tank, cistern, deep pit (well, shaft, or borehole), Aquifer s ...

system, solar power system and a green belt along its periphery to act as a noise barrier. It has a built-up area of and has an

Air Traffic Control Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and through a given section of controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled air ...

(ATC) tower, 4

aerobridges A jet bridge is an enclosed connector which most commonly extends from an airport terminal gate to an airplane, and in some instances from a port to a boat or ship, allowing passengers to board and disembark without heading outside and being exp ...

, an apron suitable for parking of 14 aircraft, 3 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 , is situated from the existing

, whose capacity is constrained and cannot be expanded because of urban growth around it.

Terminal

Passenger Terminal Exterior_view_of_Terminal

The new terminal features modern amenities such as 256 CCTV cameras, 4 aerobridges, and parking for 14 aircraft. It is designed to accommodate up to 1,800 passengers at a time, ensuring seamless operations. Inspired by the Ranjit Vilas Palace, the design showcases the rich cultural heritage of Saurashtra. Key facilities include 3 conveyor belts, 20 check-in counters, an advanced fire alarm system, 7 boarding gates and 8 immigration counters. It has the capacity to manage 14 flights per hour and can accommodate widebody aircraft. Cargo Terminal Terminal building of Hirasar Airport

The cargo terminal, which was the original and temporary terminal handling passengers after the airport was inaugurated, is now converted to handle cargo operations.

Airlines and Destinations

Passenger

Connectivity

The Rajkot Central Bus Port is connected with the airport via electric buses operated by the

Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation abbreviated (GSRTC), is a Government State Transport Undertaking of Gujarat for passengers facilitating with road public transport in moffusil / city services. GSRTC operates within the state of Gujarat, ...

(GSRTC).

References