Surat Airport
Encyclopedia
Surat Airport is a domestic airport
(IATA: STV, ICAO: VASU), located in Magdala, 11 kilometres south-west of Surat
in the Western India
n state of Gujarat. The total area of the airfield is 312 Hectares. It currently caters to scheduled airline services as well as private aircraft and is also home to a Flying training school.
and Gujarat Airways had been operating through Surat Airport and both discontinued their flights since May 1994 and January 2000, respectively. The airport, with a 1400 metre airstrip and an adjoining 60 by 40 metre apron was then transferred to the Airports Authority of India
(AAI) in 2003, who took up the airport for modernisation.
After a failed initial attempt in July 2004 to connect Surat with Mumbai and Bhavnagar due to poor airport infrastructure
, the now defunct airline Air Deccan operated an ATR 42
aircraft daily from November 2004 to July 2005.
Until 2007, Surat was the only city in the world with a population of over 4.6 million people without a functioning airport. Besides being the 4th fastest growing city in the world, its GDP is among the highest in India, thus the absence of fully functioning air-connectivity is a major hindrance.
Commercial services from Surat resumed on 6 May 2007 with an Indian Airlines Airbus 319 flight to Delhi
flagged off by Indian Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel
at 1240 IST.
By this time, major improvements had been made to the Airport.
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.
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
.
The new airport is accessible through Gaurav Path
, a newly developed express-road at Piplod. City Buses ply from Airport to City center.
The terminal building, constructed at a cost of Rs 40 crore, has a total floor area of 8,500 sq mt to handle 240 passengers per hour. It is equipped with CCTV cameras, two Baggage carousel
s in the arrivals hall, one hand baggage X-ray machine among other modern facilities. Soon, the terminal building will have two Air bridges with Visual Docking Guidance System
, two elevators and two escalators, and 120 seat lounge. Photos given above show glimpses of new terminal.
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
(IATA: STV, ICAO: VASU), located in Magdala, 11 kilometres south-west of Surat
Surat
Surat , also known as Suryapur, is the commercial capital city of the Indian state of Gujarat. Surat is India's Eighth most populous city and Ninth-most populous urban agglomeration. It is also administrative capital of Surat district and one of the fastest growing cities in India. The city proper...
in the Western India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n state of Gujarat. The total area of the airfield is 312 Hectares. It currently caters to scheduled airline services as well as private aircraft and is also home to a Flying training school.
History
Surat airport was built and owned by the State government of Gujarat. During the 1990s, VayudootVayudoot
Vayudoot was an airline in India established on 20 January 1981 as a joint-venture between the two state-owned carriers, Indian Airlines and Air India. The airline was headquartered at New Delhi's Safdarjung Airport....
and Gujarat Airways had been operating through Surat Airport and both discontinued their flights since May 1994 and January 2000, respectively. The airport, with a 1400 metre airstrip and an adjoining 60 by 40 metre apron was then transferred to the Airports Authority of India
Airports Authority of India
The Airports Authority of India is an organization working under the Ministry of Civil Aviation that manages most of the airports in India. The AAI manages and operates 126 airports including 16 international airports, 89 domestic airports and 26 civil enclaves. The corporate headquarters are at...
(AAI) in 2003, who took up the airport for modernisation.
After a failed initial attempt in July 2004 to connect Surat with Mumbai and Bhavnagar due to poor airport infrastructure
, the now defunct airline Air Deccan operated an ATR 42
ATR 42
-Civil operators:The largest operators of the ATR-42 are FedEx Express, Airlinair, TRIP Linhas Aéreas,and Mexico City-based Aeromar respectively. Number of aircraft as of 2010:Some 70 other airlines operate smaller numbers of the type....
aircraft daily from November 2004 to July 2005.
Until 2007, Surat was the only city in the world with a population of over 4.6 million people without a functioning airport. Besides being the 4th fastest growing city in the world, its GDP is among the highest in India, thus the absence of fully functioning air-connectivity is a major hindrance.
Commercial services from Surat resumed on 6 May 2007 with an Indian Airlines Airbus 319 flight to Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
flagged off by Indian Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel
Praful Patel
Praful Manoharbhai Patel is a Member of Parliament of the Lok Sabha of India. He represents the Bhandara-Gondia parliamentary constituency and is a member of the Nationalist Congress Party...
at 1240 IST.
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.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.
The Airfield is Equipped with Night Landing Facilities and an Instrument Landing System
Instrument Landing System
An instrument landing system is a ground-based instrument approach system that provides precision guidance to an aircraft approaching and landing on a runway, using a combination of radio signals and, in many cases, high-intensity lighting arrays to enable a safe landing during instrument...
(ILS) as well as Navigational facilities like DVOR/DME
Distance Measuring Equipment
Distance measuring equipment is a transponder-based radio navigation technology that measures distance by timing the propagation delay of VHF or UHF radio signals....
and an NDB
Non-directional beacon
A non-directional beacon is a radio transmitter at a known location, used as an aviation or marine navigational aid. As the name implies, the signal transmitted does not include inherent directional information, in contrast to other navigational aids such as low frequency radio range, VHF...
.
The new airport is accessible through Gaurav Path
Gaurav Path
Gaurav Path is an expressway designed and constructed by the [Surat Municipal Corporation] as a part of a plan to connect Surat City with its airport, Magdalla Sea Port and Dumas Village...
, a newly developed express-road at Piplod. City Buses ply from Airport to 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 include the capacity to handle up to 7 jets at a time and extending the runway to 2500 meters and a second runway.Terminal
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.The terminal building, constructed at a cost of Rs 40 crore, has a total floor area of 8,500 sq mt to handle 240 passengers per hour. It is equipped with CCTV cameras, two Baggage carousel
Baggage carousel
A baggage carousel is a device, generally at an airport, that delivers checked luggage to the passengers at the baggage claim area at their final destination. Not all airports use these devices...
s in the arrivals hall, one hand baggage X-ray machine among other modern facilities. Soon, the terminal building will have two Air bridges with Visual Docking Guidance System
Visual Docking Guidance System
A stand guidance system is a system which gives information to a pilot attempting to park his aircraft at an airport stand, usually via visual methods, leading to the term Visual Docking Guidance System and also A-VDGS This allows them to remain clear of obstructions and ensures that jetways can...
, two elevators and two escalators, and 120 seat lounge. Photos given above show glimpses of new terminal.