Surat Airport
| Surat Airport સુરત હવાઈમથક सुरत हवाई अड्डा | |||||||||||
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| IATA: STV – ICAO: VASU | |||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Owner/Operator | Airports Authority of India | ||||||||||
| Serves | Surat | ||||||||||
| Location | Surat, Gujarat, India | ||||||||||
| Focus city for | Ventura AirConnect | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 16 ft / 5 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 21°7′3.57″N 72°44′42.93″E / 21.1176583°N 72.7452583°ECoordinates: 21°7′3.57″N 72°44′42.93″E / 21.1176583°N 72.7452583°E | ||||||||||
| Website |
www | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  STV  STV | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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Surat Airport (IATA: STV, ICAO: VASU) is a domestic airport located in Magdalla, 11 kilometres (7 mi) southwest of Surat in the western Indian state of Gujarat. The airport, with a total area of 770 acres (312 ha), currently caters to scheduled airline services as well as private aircraft and is also home to a flying training school.[1]
History
Surat Airport was built by the state government of Gujarat. During the 1990s, Vayudoot and Gujarat Airways flew to Surat Airport but both discontinued their flights in May 1994 and January 2000, respectively. The airport, with a 1,400 metres (4,600 ft) airstrip and an adjoining 60 by 40 metres (200 ft × 130 ft) apron was then transferred to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) in 2003, who began to modernise the airport.[2] After a failed initial attempt in July 2004 to connect Surat with Mumbai and Bhavnagar due to poor airport infrastructure,[3] the now defunct airline Air Deccan operated an ATR 42 aircraft daily from November 2004 to July 2005.[4]
Surat remained the only city in the world with a population of over 4.6 million people without a functioning airport until commercial services resumed on 6 May 2007 with an Indian Airlines Airbus A319 flight to Delhi flagged off by Indian Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel at 12:40 IST.[5] By this time, major improvements had been made to the airport.
Structure
Surat airport's new terminal building is capable of handling 240 passengers per hour. With the installation of 2 aerobridges in December 2015, it has now increased to 1500 pax/hour . The adjoining concrete apron measures 235 by 90 metres, and is linked by two taxiways to its sole runway that is oriented 04/22, is 2250 metres long and 45 metres wide which is going to be extended to 2905 metres till 2017. The airfield is equipped with night landing facilities and an Instrument Landing System (ILS) as well as navigational facilities like DVOR/DME and an NDB. [6] The new airport is accessible through Gaurav Path, a newly developed express-road at Piplod. City buses operate between the airport and city center.
Future development
The Airport Authority of India announced that the Airport required 864 hectares of land, and the Gujarat government has allocated such land for the development. Planned improvements at the airport include a capacity to handle up to 7 jets at a time, extending the runway to 2905 meters. The extension work of the runway has begun.[7]
Terminal
A new Surat airport terminal building was inaugurated on 27 February 2009 by Union Minister of State for Petroleum Dinsha Patel, in the absence of Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel, who had to cancel his visit due to unavoidable circumstances.[7] The terminal building, constructed at a cost of Rs 40 crore, has a total floor area of 8,500 sq mt and can handle 240 passengers per hour. It is equipped with CCTV cameras, two Baggage carousels in the arrivals hall and one hand baggage X-ray machine, among other modern facilities like two air bridges with Visual Docking Guidance System, two elevators and two escalators, and a 120-seat lounge. Also, Coffee Culture and other shops have been added.[8][9]
Airlines and destinations
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Air India | Delhi |
| Air India Regional | Mumbai |
| Ventura AirConnect | Bhavnagar, Rajkot, Ahmedabad, Kandla, Bhuj |
| Zoom Air | Delhi, Mumbai (both begin January 10, 2017) |
Accidents and incidents
- On 6 November 2014, a SpiceJet Ltd. Boeing 737-800 VT-SGK performing flight number SG-622 collided into a buffalo during takeoff. Though none of the 140 passengers on board or 6 crew members were injured, the aircraft engine sustained serious damage and was grounded at the airport for more than two months.[10] After this incident, Spicejet indefinitely suspended all operations to and from Surat Airport, citing lax security at the airport.[11]
See also
List of tourist attractions in Surat
References
- ↑ "City gets flying academy, youth's aspirations new wings". Times of India. 21 October 2009. Retrieved 31 October 2011.
- ↑ "Airports Authority of India Starts Work on Surat Airport". Business Standard. 16 Feb 2004. Retrieved 31 October 2011.
- ↑ "Air Deccan's maiden Surat flight washed out". rediff.com. 19 July 2004. Retrieved 31 October 2011.
- ↑ "Air Deccan suspends Surat operations". Business Standard. 18 July 2005. Retrieved 31 October 2011.
- ↑ "Magdalla airport upgraded for connectivity". Times of India. 26 Feb 2009. Retrieved 31 October 2011.
- ↑ AAI website, 18 August 2010, retrieved 31 October 2011
- 1 2 "Surat airport: AAI asks govt for 864 ha". DNA. 28 Feb 2009. Retrieved 31 October 2011.
- ↑ "Surat airport's terminal to open today". The Times of India. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
- ↑ "Glimpses of new Surat airport terminal building(Photos)". DeshGujarat. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
- ↑ "Damaged SpiceJet aircraft flown back to Chennai". The Times of India. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
- ↑ "SpiceJet flight hits animal before take-off at Surat airport, flights suspended". dna. 6 November 2014. Retrieved 24 August 2015.