Begumpet Airport

Begumpet Airport
బేగంపేట విమానాశ్రయము
بیگم پیٹ ہوائی اڈا
IATA: BPM – ICAO: VOHY
Summary
Airport type Military/Public
Operator Airports Authority of India
Location Begumpet, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
Elevation AMSL 1,742 ft / 531 m
Coordinates 17°27′11″N 078°28′03″E / 17.45306°N 78.46750°E / 17.45306; 78.46750
Website aai.aero/allAirports/...
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
09/27 10,600 3,231 Asphalt

Begumpet Airport (IATA: BPM, ICAO: VOHY) at Hyderabad, also known as Hyderabad Old Airport, is a civil enclave located in Begumpet. The airport is home to the Rajiv Gandhi Aviation Academy (RGAA) and the Begumpet Air Force Station of the Indian Air Force. The Navigation Training School of the Training Command, Indian Air Force, formerly known as the Navigation and Signals School (N&SS), is based here. Begumpet used to be International and Domestic airport of Hyderabad, until the opening of the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport on 23 March 2008 after which Begumpet ceased all commercial civil operations. The last commercial flight to take off was Thai Airways International flight TG 330 to Bangkok on 22 March 2008.

Begumpet is now used for military aviation training and for flights carrying VIPs. The Leftist political parties have made strong representations to the civil aviation ministry to allow Begumpet airport to continue to be used for low cost civil aviation, however, a treaty between GHIAL, the operator of Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, and the Government of India, prevents the operation of any other commercial airport within its 150 kilometer radius. The Civil Aviation Ministry has put the proposal of starting an ATC training centre in the Begumpet Airport.

History

A Jet Airways civilian aircraft parked at the airport, when operational

Begumpet Airport was established in the 1930s with formation of Hyderabad Aero Club. Initially it was used by Nizam of Hyderabad as domestic and international airport for The Nizam's Deccan Airways, one of the premier and the earliest airline in British India. The terminal building was created in 1937.[1] A new terminal building came up on the south side in 1972 and later became the main airport. The older terminal hitherto was referred to as 'Old Airport' at Begumpet. The new terminal building consisted of two check-in terminals; Rajiv Gandhi International and NTR National with a common arrival module.

At the time of its closure, Begumpet was the 6th busiest airport in India. It had 13 parking bays in operation around the terminal block and five "night parking bays" on the Northern side, next to the old block, sufficient to handle the A 320 and Boeing 737. The airport had limited night landing facilities and only 30% of Andhra Pradesh's international traffic flowed through the airport, due to lack of direct flights.[2]

Begumpet airport's capacity had reportedly been exceeded in both domestic and international areas due to the rate of growth in passenger traffic, estimated at 45% p.a., the highest among Indian airports. The airport handled 20,000 passengers daily with about 300 aircraft movements of 16 international and 10 domestic airlines. US President Bill Clinton's Air Force One landed and took off from Begumpet during his visit to Hyderabad in early 2006.

India Civil Aviation Airshow

Begumpet Airport hosts 'India Aviation', India's first civilian air show. This Biennial event, organised by the Ministry of Civil Aviation in collaboration with FICCI, was first held from 15–18 October 2008. The second edition, ‘INDIA AVIATION 2010’ was organized, from 3 to 7 March 2010. The Partner Country in the second edition was France, and USA was the Focus Country for the event. The event was bigger in magnitude to its predecessor. More than 200 exhibitors participated and the exhibition covered a gross area of 12,000 square metres. 40 aircraft participated, including the Antonov An-148 which was on display for first time in India. More than 500 conference delegates and more than 5000 Business visitors attended the event. Parallel events of International Conference on Civil Aviation and CEOs Forum were also organized. The third edition of INDIA AVIATION 2012 was organized in Hyderabad from 14 to 18 March 2012.[3]

General Aviation and Training

After the closure of Begumpet Airport for commercial flights, it is being used for aviation and flight training purposes by A.P. Aviation Academy and Rajiv Gandhi Aviation Academy. Training flights fly only to the south of the airport because of the northern part of the airport being a prohibited airspace for commercial flights.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Begumpet Airport History
  2. ↑ "Airports in Andhra Pradesh" (PDF). (4.53 KiB)
  3. ↑ "Press Information Bureau, Government of India". Retrieved 30 January 2012.

External links

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