Rajkot is all set to get a new “greenfield” airport by August this year. The new airport is being built on Ahmedabad-Rajkot highway in over 1,000 hectares of land at an estimated cost of Rs 1,405 crore.
Arun Mahesh Babu, the District Collector of Rajkot, stated that work on the new Greenfield airport at Hirasar is progressing well and that it will be inaugurated soon. “On the occasion of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahostav,’ we intend to inaugurate the new airport in August, subject to DGCA approval.” “Babu stated.
Babu explained that the current airport is located in the heart of the city and suffers from significant capacity constraints as a result of residential and commercial buildings built around it. The current airstrip cannot accommodate aircraft larger than an Airbus 320 or a Boeing 737-800.
“At new airport, runway length is planned for 3040 meters for serving B777-300ER/B747-400 types of aircraft. Out of a total 1,032 hectares area, 437 hectare is an operational area and 595 hectare is non operational area. This will be capable of parking 14 aircrafts (four in contact and 10 in remote) at a time. With a total build up area of 23,000 square meters, the new terminal building of this new airport will be capable of handling 1,280 passengers during peak hours,” the Rajkot District Collector said.