Prayagraj Airport

Prayagraj Airport
IATA: IXD ICAO: VEAB
Summary
Airport type	Public/military
Owner	Indian Air Force
Operator	Airports Authority of India
Serves	Prayagraj
Location	Bamrauli, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India
Opened	1931; 94 years ago (1931)[1][2][3]
Elevation AMSL	322 ft / 98 m
Coordinates	25°26′24″N 81°44′02″E
Map
IXD Location in Uttar Pradesh Show map of Uttar Pradesh IXD IXD (India) Show map of India
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 12/30 8,400 2,560 Asphalt
Statistics (April 2023 - March 2024)
Passengers 610,707 ( 6.9%) Aircraft movements 6,906 ( 13.3%) Cargo tonnage 33 ( 64%)
Source: AAI[4][5][6]

Prayagraj Airport (IATA: IXD, ICAO: VEAB), also known as Allahabad Airport, is the domestic airport serving the city of Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India. Located in the Bamrauli suburb of the city, it is one of the oldest airports in India. This airport is currently under joint operation of the Indian Air Force and the Airports Authority of India. It is the fourth busiest airport in Uttar Pradesh after Lucknow International Airport, Varanasi International Airport and Gorakhpur Airport in terms of passenger traffic and aircraft movements.^[7]

Foreseeing the Kumbh 2019, the airport was upgraded with the addition of a new civil terminal extension in 2018, which was constructed in a record 11 months by Tata Projects.^[8] It continues to serve domestic destinations across the country, and is set to be converted into an international airport before Kumbh 2025.^[9]

Bamrauli Air Force Station

The Air Force station is located in the Bamrauli area of Prayagraj and is the headquarters of Central Air Command. It is one of the bases of Indian Armed Forces which operates under Central Air Command of Indian Air Force.^{[citation needed]}

History

On 18 February 1911, domestic commercial aviation began in India when Henri Piquet flew a Humber biplane carrying mail from a polo field at Allahabad (now Prayagraj) to Naini, approximately six miles away.^[10] The construction of an airport at Allahabad with a dedicated airfield was started in 1924.^[3]

In 1931, the aerodrome at Allahabad was set up and the foundation for air traffic control services was laid with the appointment of an Indian Aerodrome Officer, specially trained at the airport in the UK.^[3] It was among the first four international airports of the country. It catered to international flights with direct services to London until 1932.^[2]

In July 1933, Imperial Airways commenced the operation of its flight on the Karachi-Jodhpur-Delhi-Kanpur-Allahabad-Kolkata route, which ran until June 1940.^[11] The airfield at Bamrauli was also used as one of the five compulsory stops of the MacRobertson Trophy Air Race which took place in October 1934.^[12]

From 1941 to the early 2000s, the airport did not cater to any regular commercial flight services. In the early months of 2003, Air Sahara became the first carrier to re-introduce services at the airport with connectivity to cities like Delhi and Kolkata.^[13] However, services soon became defunct following an economic crisis. In 2005, Alliance Air (a regional connectivity subsidiary under Air India) started its Allahabad-Delhi flight service on the ATR-72 fleet, which continues to be operational to this day, with minor non-operational periods in between.

In 2013, SpiceJet introduced its operation in the Delhi-Allahabad sector, along with Alliance Air commencing its Allahabad-Mumbai flight, both of which were closed down due to non-availability of ILS and night landing facilities at the airport after running for a few months.^[14][15]

Seeking limited operational and structural facilities, construction of a new civilian terminal and installation of an ILS system on the existing runway began in January 2018.^[16] The newly constructed terminal was opened to the public in January 2019 and has since served regular flight operations at Prayagraj.^[17]

Structure

Runway

The airport is served by a single runway 12/30, which is 2,560 meters (8,400 ft) long and 45 meters (148 ft) wide.^[18]

Landing amenities

The airport is ILS CAT-I compliant for landing during the night, bad weather and foggy conditions.^{[19][non-primary source needed]} The instrument landing system was installed during the 2018–2019 expansion phase, along with construction of the new terminal. Other than enhancing safety for landing flights in visibility as low as 550 meters, the installation of ILS finally allowed the airport to operate flights at night.^[20]

New terminal

Construction of the new terminal began in January 2018 and was completed in December 2018. It was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The terminal was constructed for ₹164 crore (US$19 million).^[21][16] A total of 83 acres (34 ha) was allocated for the construction of this terminal.^[17]

The terminal is 6700 square meters, and has a peak per hour capacity of 300 passengers and four aircraft parking bays for Airbus A320 and Boeing 737.^[22][21]

The building has an electric operated trolley gate on the link taxi track to segregate the operational area of Airports Authority of India and Indian Air Force. There has been use of fly ash bricks; double insulated door and the building is equipped with water harvesting and has a sewage treatment plant of its own.^[23]

Phase 2 extension

In February 2021, it was reported that there were plans for a complete makeover of the civil enclave of Prayagraj in Bamrauli in terms of size and facilities. The AAI proposed to double the airport's size, with the present building of the airport being expanded on both sides, keeping the terminal the same.

The project involves reconfiguring the existing terminal building and partially commissioning a new terminal, increasing the combined passenger handling capacity from 350 to approximately 2,050 passengers per hour. The total terminal area will expand from 6,500 sq. mtrs. to 18,500 sq. mtrs., enhancing passenger comfort and operational efficiency. Infrastructure upgrades also include an increase in the apron area, allowing aircraft parking bays to grow from four to 15, accommodating up to 7 Airbus A320s and eight smaller aircraft. A newly constructed taxiway will further streamline ground operations, and night landing facilities will ensure round-the-clock functionality. Improvements extend beyond flight operations. The city-side infrastructure now includes an expanded car parking capacity of 600 vehicles, up from 200.^[24]

Airlines and destinations

Airlines	Destinations
Akasa Air[25]	Mumbai
Alliance Air	Bilaspur, Delhi
IndiGo	Bangalore, Bhubaneswar, Delhi, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Mumbai, Raipur

Statistics

Annual passenger traffic at IXD airport. See Wikidata query.

See also

• List of airports in India
• List of the busiest airports in India
• Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport
• Gaya Airport

References

1. Krishnaswamy, Murali N. (31 October 2011). "One hundred years of flying high". The Hindu. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
2. "No headway: With no ILS in place, flight delays continue". The Times of India. 10 December 2016. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
3. Bawa, Y.P. (2016). "Civil Aviation: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow". Indian Forty Years of Independence. Publications Division Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. p. 163. ISBN 978-81-230-2634-3.
4. "Annexure III – Passenger Data" (PDF). aai.aero. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
5. "Annexure II – Aircraft Movement Data" (PDF). aai.aero. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
6. "Annexure IV – Freight Movement Data" (PDF). aai.aero. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
7. Airports by Passenger Traffic, 2023-24 (PDF) (Report). Airports Authority of India. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
8. "TATA Projects Builds Prayagraj Airport Terminal in 11 Months". Business Standard. 18 December 2018.
9. "Mega expansion of Prayagraj Airport before Mahakumbh 2025". Hindustan Times. 1 February 2023.
10. "India and the World's First Official Air Mail by Airplane". Smithsonian National Postal Museum. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
11. Robin Higham (2013). Speedbird: The Complete History of BOAC. I.B.Tauris. p. 44. ISBN 978-0-85773-334-4.
12. "De Panderjager uitgebrand in Allahabad". AviaCrash.nl. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
13. "Air Sahara inducts maiden Canadian jet – First flight on 28 February". Business Line. 22 February 2003. Archived from the original on 30 June 2003. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
14. Ganguly, Nivedita (1 February 2013). "SpiceJet begins Delhi-Allahabad daily services". Business Line. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
15. "Alliance Air to launch 3 new flights from Mumbai". Business Line. PTI. 27 August 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
16. "Allahabad to get India's fastest-built airport terminal building! Here is what AAI is planning". The Financial Express (India). 12 November 2018. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
17. Sinha, Saurabh (1 September 2017). "Allahabad airport terminal: Allahabad airport may get new terminal before January 2019 Ardh Kumbh". The Economic Times. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
18. "UP: Environmental Impact Assessment Study Allahabad Airport" (PDF). Airports Authority of India/Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change. 25 July 2018. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
19. "Allahabad Airport". Airports Authority of India. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
20. John, Kenneth (24 August 2018). "UP: Bamrauli airport to get night landing facility before Kumbh". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
21. "PM inaugurates Prayagraj airport in Allahabad". Business Line. 17 December 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
22. "AAI approved list of Agencies for "Development of New Civil Enclave at Allahabad Airport" – Design & Build (EPC) | AIRPORTS AUTHORITY OF INDIA". Aai.aero. 20 September 2017. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
23. Sinha, Saurabh (15 December 2018). "Allahabad airport gets new passenger terminal & more aircraft bays ahead of Kumbh". The Times of India. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
24. "New flights, bigger space: Civil enclave set to expand". The Times of India. 7 February 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
25. "Akasa Air Flight Network". Akasa Air. Retrieved 25 May 2024.

External links

• Official website
• "Allahabad Airport", Airports Authority of India, archived from the original on 13 October 2006