Rajkot Airport (IATA: RAJ, ICAO: VARK) 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 commercial operations were shifted to Rajkot International Airport on 10 September 2023. As of 2024, the airport remains open for general aviation, including VIP/VVIP traffic.[1]
Rajkot Airport | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Summary | |||||||||||
Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
Operator | Airports Authority of India | ||||||||||
Serves | Rajkot | ||||||||||
Location | Rajkot, Gujarat, India | ||||||||||
Passenger services ceased | 10 September 2023[1] | ||||||||||
Elevation AMSL | 135 m / 443 ft | ||||||||||
Coordinates | 22°18′33″N 070°46′46″E / 22.30917°N 70.77944°E | ||||||||||
Maps | |||||||||||
![]() | |||||||||||
Runways | |||||||||||
|
Development
editIn 2019, the AAI began building an apron for parking of four Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 type aircraft to reduce waiting time for passengers at the airport. [2]
Due to the expansion of the city, the airport suffered from considerable capacity restraints because of the residential and commercial areas surrounding it. This rendered the plan to extend the runway beyond 1,800 meters infeasible, and the airport's hot and high climate compounded the airport's capacity constraints. As the airport was incapable of serving aircraft larger than Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 (which is the largest aircraft operating from the airport), a plan for an entirely new airport was launched.
Airlines and destinations
editAll scheduled commercial flights were shifted to the new Rajkot International Airport in Hirasar on 10 September 2023.[1]
Statistics
editGraphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c "Rajkot Airport shut: Commercial ops shift to new international airport today". The Indian Express. 10 September 2023. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
- ^ "New apron to cut down waiting time for fliers". The Times of India. 10 March 2019. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
External links
edit- Media related to Rajkot Airport at Wikimedia Commons
- Rajkot Airport at the Airports Authority of India