Vadodara Airport
Vadodara Airport | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Owner/Operator | Airports Authority of India | ||||||||||
| Serves | Vadodara | ||||||||||
| Location | Vadodara | ||||||||||
| Focus city for | |||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 38.7 m / 127 ft | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 22°19′46″N 73°13′10″E / 22.32944°N 73.21944°E | ||||||||||
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| Statistics (April-2018 to March-2019) | |||||||||||
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Vadodara Airport,[2] (IATA: BDQ, ICAO: VABO) is a Domestic airport located in the northeast of Vadodara, Gujarat, India in the suburb of Harni. It is the third-busiest airport in Gujarat after Ahmedabad and Surat international airports, in terms of aircraft movements and passenger traffic.
Terminals
The existing domestic terminal at Vadodara Airport, named after the Maharaja of Baroda State, is distinct from other airports due to its mix of Gujarati and architectural styles complete with domes on the roof. The terminal is small and cannot handle large numbers of passengers. The old terminal covers 4,519 square metres and can handle 250 passengers. [3]
To enhance the capacity of the airport as well as to launch international services, it was decided to construct a new Integrated Terminal Building. An international architectural design competition was held to invite designs for the new terminal. Eventually, a design submitted by United States-based consortium Gensler, Frederic Schwartz Architects and Creative Group from India won the competition and the contract to design the new terminal was awarded to them.[4]
The foundation stone for the new terminal was laid on 26 February 2009. Construction work started in May 2011 and completed by August 2016.[5] The new terminal has an area of 18,120 sq. meters with the ability to handle 700 passengers (500 domestic and 200 international) per hour. It has 18 check in counters.[6] The AAI has recently constructed a night parking facility at the airport which can park about nine Airbus A320 or Boeing 737-800 aircraft thus reducing the burden at Mumbai Airport and Ahmedabad airport, proving economical for airlines.
The new integrated terminal building was inaugurated by Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi 22 October 2016.[7] The new terminal constructed at the cost of Rs. 160 Crores is also the second green airport of India after Cochin International Airport. The new Terminal area also houses a big picturesque garden wherein marvelous art works and sculptures by the city artists are installed (Vadodara is known for its culture, art and education and is the Cultural Capital of Gujarat). The new International terminal building holds a world record - having the longest single sheet rooftop measuring 164.2 meters.
Currently, the airport does not handle cargo.
Vadodara Airport has topped in the country and bagged the Swachh Bharat Award 2019 for the cleanest and safest airport in the category of airports having annual passenger handling capacity of 1.5 million.[1]
IAF Station Vadodara
In addition to its own state of art MRO facility for HS 748 and AN-32 aircraft at Vadodara, the Indian Air Force has two transport squadrons, operating under No. 36 Wing IAF, South Western Air Command:
- No. 11 Squadron IAF, Charging Rhinos, which operates HS 748 transport aircraft
- No. 25 Squadron IAF, Himalayan Eagles, equipped with AN-32 aircraft. This Squadron moved here from Chandigarh in Sept 2011[8]
Airlines and destinations
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Air India | Delhi, Mumbai |
| IndiGo | Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai |
Accidents and incidents
- On 1 July 1995, an East West Airlines Fokker F-27, registered VT-EWE, was engaged in a training touch and go exercise at Vadodara Airport when the aircraft's left main landing gear failed on touchdown. The aircraft continued moving forward on its belly and skid to a halt on the runway. There was no fire and no injury to persons on board the aircraft. Poor maintenance was cited as a contributory factor in the accident. The aircraft was written off, and is now abandoned near the wall surrounding the airport premises in the mid-runway.[9]
References
- ^ "TRAFFIC STATISTICS - DOMESTIC". Aai.aero. Archived from the original (jsp) on 3 January 2015. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
- ^ "Vadodara: General information". Airports Authority of India. 3 September 2016. Archived from the original on 31 May 2011. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
- ^ "Vadodara Airport". www.aai.aero.
- ^ "Vadodara Airport -[FSA]-". www.schwartzarch.com.
- ^ "Family Trip/ Holidays/ Transfers/ Airport Pick up / Airport Taxi Service is given at a very low price so that you can reach your destination safely". ratantravels.com. 26 February 2019.
- ^ "Harni Airport to go international soon". The Times of India. 26 February 2009.
- ^ "PM Modi inaugurates terminal building of Vadodara airport, says happy it has joined green movement along with Kochi". The Indian Express. 22 October 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
- ^ "Himalayan Eagles land in Vadodara". newKerela.com. 1 September 2011. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
- ^ "Accident Description". Air Safety Network. Retrieved 5 November 2011.
