Greenfield airport coming up at Hirasar, Rajkot in Gujarat at a cost of Rs 1,405 crore
Ahmedabad, June 12, 2022
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has begun work on a greenfield airport at Hirasar, Rajkot in Gujarat at a cost of Rs 1,405 crore to cater to the growing population of the fourth largest city in the state and the increasing flow of air traffic in the region.
The new airport is envisioned to be a transportation hub for people traveling abroad from the state, an official press release said.
Spread over 2,534 acres, the new airport has been planned with modern facilities and conveniences for travellers with increased number of counters and other necessary facilities.
The location of the new airport is about 30 kms from Rajkot city on the Rajkot-Ahmedabad highway.
With a total built-up area of 23,000 sq m, excluding basement, the terminal building of this new airport will be capable of handling 1800 passengers during peak hours.
The terminal will be equipped with state-of-the-art passenger facilities, four passenger boarding bridges, three conveyor belts and 20 check-in counters along with modern firefighting and fire alarm systems. The city side area of the airport will also be developed for adequate parking facilities for cars, taxis and buses along with landscaping. Runway length is planned for 3,040 m for serving AB-321type of aircraft. There will be facilities for parking 14 aircraft at a time.
The terminal façade design is influenced by the existing palaces of Rajkot like the Ranjit Vilas Palace, integrating traditional elements into a contemporary form. An outer skin of traditional "jalis" of palaces is provided to minimize the heat gain inside the building, the release said.
The terminal will depict various artforms including dandiya dance through its dynamic external façade and splendid interiors. Rajkot is famous for its golden jewellery and filigree work and that has inspired the exterior panel work at the drop-off area of city side kerb.
More than 82% of earth work and 80% of runway and other pavement works have been completed, the release said.
The work for the new terminal building and the air traffic control (ATC) tower is also in progress. To commission the airport, an interim terminal building of size 60m x 60m capable of handling 300 passengers per hour is also in progress. The present progress of the total project is 45%. It is expected that the new airport will be ready for operation by March 2023.
"Rajkot is effectively contributing to the economy of India through its small scale and heavy industries. The city is playing an important role in complex supply chains with global perspective, which is expected to grow exponentially. Air connectivity to the international market will boost the industrial growth, which in turn will generate new employment opportunities. Apart from this, the new airport will come up with lots of commercial development. This will boost travel-logistics, hotel industry, restaurants, warehouse-cargo handling and clearing business, and so on," the release said.
The Hirasar Airport can be accessed from the National Highway NH-27. A clover -leaf flyover is planned on the highway for unhindered access to the airport.
"Being located on Rajkot-Ahmadabad highway, this airport will aim to reduce time and cost related to logistics for multiple industries in the region. More importantly, the ceramic industry of Morbi and other industries of Jamnagar also depend on Rajkot for air connectivity.
"The plans to modernize and beautify the ancient city of Rajkot are already in place and all such infrastructure development projects including construction of greenfield airport will help promote the local business houses adding economic wealth to the country," the release added.
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