Allahabad Airport

Allahabad Airport (IATA: IXD, ICAO: VEAB), officially known as Prayagraj Airport, is a military airbase and public airport serving the city of Allahabad, in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located in Bamrauli at a distance of 12 km (7.5 mi) from Allahabad city and is operational for domestic flights. It is one of the oldest airports in India. The airport operation is jointly under the supervision of Indian Air Force and Airports Authority of India.

Allahabad Airport
Summary
Airport typeMilitary/Public
OwnerIndian Air Force
OperatorAirports Authority of India / Indian Air Force
ServesAllahabad, Fatehpur, Kaushambi, Pratapgarh, Sultanpur, Amethi, Chitrakoot, Banda, Rewa
LocationBamrauli
Elevation AMSL322 ft / 98 m
Coordinates25°26′24″N 81°44′02″E
Map
IXD
Location in Uttar Pradesh
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
12/30 8,400 2,560 Asphalt
Statistics (April 2018 – December 2019)
Passengers294091 (266.8%)
Aircraft movements3540(110.3.6%)
Sources: Statistics from AAI[1][2]

History
  • In 1911, domestic commercial aviation took birth in India when on 18 February, Henri Piquet, flying a Humber biplane, carried mail from Allahabad (from a polo field) to Naini, approximately six miles apart.[3]
  • The airport at Allahabad was built in 1919, with dedicated airfield construction taken up around 1924. It was among the first four international airports of the country. It catered international flights till 1946, with direct services to London till 1932.[4][5]
  • In 1931, aerodrome at Allahabad was set up and foundation for Air Traffic control services was laid with the appointment of an Indian Aerodrome Officer, specially trained at UK at the airport.[6]
  • In July 1933, Imperial Airways commenced operation of its flight on the Karachi-Jodhpur-Delhi-Kanpur-Allahabad-Kolkata route, which ran until June 1940.[7]
  • The airfield at Bamrauli was also used as one of the five compulsory stops of the MacRobertson Trophy Air Race which took place in October 1934.[8]
  • From 1941 to early 2000s, the airport did not cater any regular commercial flight services. In early months of 2003, Air Sahara became the first carrier to re-introduce services at the airport with connectivity to cities like Delhi and Kolkata.[9] However, the service soon became defunct following economic crisis. In 2005, Alliance Air (a regional connectivity subsidiary under Air India) started its Allahabad-Delhi flight service on its ATR-72 fleet, which continues to be operational to this date, with minor non-operational periods in between. In 2013, Spicejet introduced its operation on Delhi-Allahabad sector, along with Alliance Air commencing its Allahabad-Mumbai flight, both of which were closed down due to non-availability of ILS and Night Landing facility at the airport after running for a few months.[10][11]
  • Seeking limited operational and structural facilities, construction of a new civilian terminal and installation of ILS system on existing runway began in January 2018.[12] The newly constructed terminal was opened to public in January 2019 and since then is serving regular flight operations at Allahabad.[13]

Structure

Runway

The airport is served by a single runway 12/30, which is 2,560 metres (8,400 ft) long and 45 metres (148 ft) wide.[14]

Landing Amenities

The airport has ILS CAT-I[15] compliant for landing during night, bad weather and foggy conditions. The Instrument Landing System was installed during 2018–2019 expansion phase, along with the construction of the new terminal. Other than enhancing safety for landing of flights in a visibility as low as 550 metres, installation of ILS finally allowed the airport to operate flights at night.[16]

New terminal

Construction of a new terminal began in January 2018 and was completed in December 2018. It was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The terminal was constructed at a cost of ₹164 crore (US$23 million).[17][12] A total of 83 acres (34 ha) was allocated for the construction of this terminal.[13]

The terminal is 6700 square meter; has a peak hour capacity of 300 passengers and four aircraft parking bays for Airbus A320 and Boeing 737.[18][19]

The building has an electric operated trolley gate on the link taxi track to segregate the operational area of Airports Authority of India and Indian Air Force. There has been use of fly ash bricks; double insulated door and the building is equipped with water harvesting and has a sewage treatment plant of its own.[20]

Airlines and destinations
AirlinesDestinations
Alliance Air Delhi[21]
IndiGo Bangalore, Bhubaneswar,[22] Dehradun, Delhi, Gorakhpur, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune, Bhopal, Raipur[23][24]

See also

References
  1. "Traffic News for the month of December 2019: Annexure-III" (PDF). Airports Authority of India. 1 January 2020. p. 3. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  2. "Traffic News for the month of December 2019: Annexure-II" (PDF). Airports Authority of India. 1 January 2020. p. 3. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  3. "India and the World's First Official Air Mail by Airplane". Smithsonian National Postal Museum. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  4. "One hundred years of flying high". 31 October 2011. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  5. "No headway: With no ILS in place, flight delays continue". 10 December 2016. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  6. Publications Division (2016). Indian forty Years of Independence. Publications Division Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. p. 163. ISBN 978-81-230-2634-3.
  7. Robin Higham (2013). Speedbird: The Complete History of BOAC. I.B.Tauris. p. 44. ISBN 978-0-85773-334-4.
  8. "De Panderjager uitgebrand in Allahabad". AviaCrash.nl. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  9. "Air Sahara inducts maiden Canadian jet – First flight on 28 February". thehindubusinessline.com. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  10. "Spicejet begins Delhi Allahabad Daily services". thehindubusinessline.com. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  11. "Alliance Air to launch 3 new flights from Mumbai". thehindubusinessline.com. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  12. "Allahabad to get India's fastest-built airport terminal building! Here is what AAI is planning". financialexpress.com. 12 November 2018. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  13. "Allahabad airport terminal: Allahabad airport may get new terminal before January 2019 Ardh Kumbh – The Economic Times". M.economictimes.com. 1 September 2017. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  14. "UP: Environmental Impact Assessment Study Allahabad Airport" (PDF). Airports Authority of India/Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change. 25 July 2018. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  15. "Allahabad Airport". Airports Authority of India. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  16. "UP: Bamrauli airport to get night landing facility before Kumbh". Hindustan Times. 24 August 2018. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  17. "PM inaugurates Allahabad Airport in Allahabad". The Hindu Businessline.
  18. "AAI approved list of Agencies for "Development of New Civil Enclave at Allahabad Airport" – Design & Build (EPC) | AIRPORTS AUTHORITY OF INDIA". Aai.aero. 20 September 2017. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  19. "PM inaugurates Prayagraj airport in Allahabad". @businessline. 17 December 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  20. "Allahabad airport gets new passenger terminal". Times of India.
  21. "Air India and Alliance Air schedules". Retrieved 24 November 2018.
  22. "New Flights Information, Status & Schedule | IndiGo". www.goindigo.in.
  23. "New Flights Information, Status & Schedule | IndiGo". www.goindigo.in.
  24. "IndiGo new flights". goindigo.com. Retrieved 21 September 2018.

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