PM Modi Inaugurates New International Airport In Rajkot

Rajkot, July 27 (TNA) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday inaugurated the new International Airport in Rajkot in the presence of the Chief Minister of Gujarat, Bhupendra Rajnikant Patel, the Union Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, and other dignitaries.

This landmark event marks a significant step towards bolstering the nation's aviation infrastructure and enhancing connectivity in the region. The 236 acres existing Airport at Rajkot in the state of Gujarat is capacity-constrained due to dense residential and commercial development all around it and does not have any scope for further expansion and to meet Civil Aviation requirements.

Therefore, a new Greenfield airport at Hirasar, Rajkot was proposed and was entrusted to the Airports Authority of India. After the proposed New Greenfield Airport becomes operational, the existing Rajkot Airport will cease functioning. To operationalize the Airport with the completed and available airside infrastructure, an Interim Terminal building has been constructed. The new Terminal building is under construction. Once this is completed, the interim Terminal shall be used as Cargo Terminal.

The new airport is ten times larger than the existing airport in Rajkot. A new terminal building is also being constructed there, which will have the capacity to serve 1800 passengers per hour. The art and culture of Rajkot will be depicted in this new terminal building.

In 2014, there were only 56 flight movements per week from Rajkot, which has now more than doubled to 130 flights per week. Currently, Rajkot has air connectivity with Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Goa, and Bengaluru. In the coming weeks, we are going to connect Rajkot with Udaipur and Indore as well. In 2014, Gujarat had connectivity with only 19 cities; today it is connected to 50 cities.

The New Terminal building and the airside infrastructures are developed in a total land area of 2534 acres and at a cost of Rs.1405 Cr. This development includes the construction of Runway, Apron, Parallel Taxi Track, etc.