Kishangarh Airport (IATA: KQH, ICAO: VIKG) is a domestic airport serving the twin cities of Ajmer and Kishangarh. It is located at Kishangarh on National Highway 8, 27 km (17 mi) north-east of Ajmer.[4] The airport was inaugurated on 11 October 2017.[5] It is operated by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), covers an area of 742 acres and has a 2,000 metre long runway. It is also famous for its interior Bani Thani painting. The airport facilitates transport to the pilgrim sites like the Dargah of Khwaja Garib Nawaz, Pushkar and the fort of Prithvi Raj Chauhan in Ajmer.[6][7]

Kishangarh Airport
Summary
Owner/OperatorAirports Authority of India
ServesKishangarh and Ajmer
LocationKishangarh, Rajasthan, India
Opened11 October 2017; 7 years ago (2017-10-11)
Coordinates26°36′05″N 74°48′51″E / 26.60139°N 74.81417°E / 26.60139; 74.81417
WebsiteKishangarh Airport
Map
KQH is located in Rajasthan
KQH
KQH
Location of airport in Rajasthan
KQH is located in India
KQH
KQH
KQH (India)
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
05/23 2,152 7,060 Concrete
Statistics (April 2023 - March 2024)
Passengers40,864 (Decrease 30.4%)
Aircraft movements1,210 (Decrease 1.3%)
Cargo tonnage
Source: AAI[1][2][3]

History

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The original proposal for an airport at Kishangarh came following the former Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi's visit to Ajmer.[8] Initial government efforts to acquire land for the project at Sardana had to be abandoned before the current location was chosen by the district administration.[8] The airport is the first of over 100 airports that were to be built in India by 2020. The foundation stone of the project was laid by the then Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh in September 2013. The project was undertaken by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) at a cost of about ₹ 161 crores.[4][6][9] 441 acres of land was handed over for the project in 2013.[10] Demands for naming the airport after Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, Veer Teja Ji, Marble City and Prithviraj Chauhan were made, but none of them were granted.[8] The airport was inaugurated on 11 October 2017 by the then Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Jayant Sinha and the then Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Vasundhara Raje.[5]

Facilities

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The 2,700 sq.m. passenger terminal building can handle 150 passengers during peak hours. Other features at the terminal include 6 check-in counters, one X-ray screening machine for baggage screening and an elevated baggage conveyor belt in the arrivals terminal. The airport has parking space for 125 cars.[11] The terminal features three-dimensional murals made of marble, 'Bani Thani' portraits, the paintings of the Kishangarh school of paintings and fountains to give the project a local touch.[10] The airport has a 2,000 metre long runway that allow daytime operation of smaller aircraft. The parking apron is able to simultaneously accommodate two ATR aircraft.[11]

The Government of India will generate 100 megawatt power from solar energy to light up the airport. Considering the scarcity of water in the area, AAI has built a water harvesting system at the airport as also a modern sewage treatment plant for re-use of water.[12]

Airlines and destinations

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AirlinesDestinations
Star Air[13]Ghaziabad,[14] Hyderabad,[15] Lucknow,[14] Nagpur,[15] Pune,[16] Surat

Statistics

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Annual passenger traffic at KQH airport. See Wikidata query.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Annexure III – Passenger Data" (PDF). aai.aero. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  2. ^ "Annexure II – Aircraft Movement Data" (PDF). aai.aero. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  3. ^ "Annexure IV – Freight Movement Data" (PDF). aai.aero. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Focus on connecting small cities by air: Manmohan". The Hindu. 21 September 2013. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  5. ^ a b "Kishangarh airport, Ajmer inauguration ends decade long wait of Ajmer residents: CM Raje". Deccan Chronicle. 12 October 2017. Archived from the original on 13 October 2017. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  6. ^ a b "More than 100 airports to connect small cities by 2020: PM". Deccan Chronicle. 22 September 2013. Archived from the original on 22 September 2013. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  7. ^ "Manmohan Singh lays foundation stone of Kishangarh airport in Ajmer". DNA. 21 September 2013. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  8. ^ a b c "Controversy over, Kishangarh airport to be final name". The Times of India. 20 September 2013. Archived from the original on 25 September 2013. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  9. ^ 2 years on, Kishangarh airport script still awry
  10. ^ a b "Kishangarh airport likely to be operationalised by July next year". The Economic Times. 15 May 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  11. ^ a b "Kishangarh airport to be operational in 36 months". The Times of India. 22 September 2013. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  12. ^ "Ajmer airport to run on solar energy". The Times of India. 3 January 2016. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
  13. ^ "Flight schedules & Route networks". Star Air. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  14. ^ a b "Star Air to launch flights to Lucknow and Ghaziabad from Kishangarh". JetArena. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  15. ^ a b Velani, Bhavya (21 September 2023). "Star Air Announces the New Flights from Nagpur". Aviation A2Z. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  16. ^ Bengrut, Dheeraj (29 October 2023). "New air service from Pune to Kishangarh". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 18 November 2023.