Raja Sansi International Airport

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Raja Sansi International Airport
Amritsar International Airport


Airports Authority of India
IATA: ATQ – ICAO: VIAR
Summary
Airport type Public
Operator Airports Authority of India
Location Amritsar, India
Elevation AMSL 756 ft / 230 m
Coordinates 31°42′28″N 74°47′57″E / 31.70778, 74.79917
Website aai.aero/allAirports/...
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
16/34 10,791 3,289 Asphalt

Raja Sansi International Airport (IATA: ATQ, ICAO: VIAR), also known as Guru Ram Das International Airport, after Guru Ram Das, the founder of the Amritsar, as well as Amritsar International Airport, is 11 km north-west from the city of Amritsar, India. It is located near the village of Raja Sansi on Amritsar-Ajnala Road. It serves not only the city of Amritsar, but also the greater Punjab area, including the city of Jalandhar.

As a government designated international airport, the airport currently handles about 150 commercial flights a week, both international and domestic.

Contents

[edit] Expansion and renovation

The city of Amritsar has long remained the cultural and tourist capital of Punjab, and the demand for a fully operational international airport has increased in recent years. A newly finished arrivals terminal was inaugurated in September of 2005, and a finished departures terminal has been operational since March 2006. This new terminal is a blend of modern and Indian designs, constructed of glass and steel, but with Indian arches and colours.

Amritsar Raja Sansi Airport (ATQ) has now begun Phase II of its development, which will see:[1]

  • The proposed site for the Permanent Perishable Cargo Centre is located close to the air cargo complex, which has a capacity of 200 tonnes per day
  • Passenger terminal building size to be doubled to 41,000 square m
  • Four new air/jet bridges to be installed for the convenience of passengers (Amritsar currently has 0 air / jet bridges)
  • Four more parking bays to be added by 2008 (ATQ currently has 5)
  • The runway extended by 369 meters to a total length of 3,658 meters.
  • A new spacious car park for passengers and visitors


One of the main drivers for this expansion is a result of the excellent load factors that airlines operating into Amritsar are experiencing. For example ever since Jet Airways' inaugurated its Amritsar-London flights in August 2006, the load factor has been considerably higher than both Delhi-London and Mumbai-London, leading the airline to upgrade the service from 3 weekly to daily flights (effective 15th January 2008):[2]

  • August & September 2006 = average load factor of 66%[3]
  • October, November & December 2006 = average load factor of 79%[4]
  • January 2007 = average load factor of 79%[5]
  • February 2007 = average load factor of 86%[6]
  • March 2007 = average load factor of 92%[7]
  • April 2007 = Figures not yet available
  • May 2007 = average load factor of 69%[8]
  • June 2007 = average load factor of 80%[9]
  • July 2007 = average load factor of 82% [10]
  • August 2007 = average load factor of 85% [11]


Air India has also had success on its Amritsar-Birmingham-Toronto flights with the airline upgrading the service from the current 5 weekly flights to daily in 2008. Traffic through Amritsar Airport is clearly growing rapidly and this is perhaps no surprise considering that more than 26% of all passengers flying from Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport are from Punjab[citation needed].

Airport modernisation

The Airport Authority of India has shortlisted five bidders from the initial list of 23 bidders for the modernisation of the Amritsar airport. These include

1. Reliance Energy Limited-AAACPL-RADPL-ASA
2. Fraport AG Frankfurt Airport Services Worldwide
3. TADL-Changi Airports-Tata Power
4. Lanco Infratech Ltd - Genting (Singapore) Pte Ltd
5. L&T-IDPL-Unique Consortium

The development and modernisation plans are only for the city-side of these non-metro airports and are expected to be completed by 2010, through public-private partnership (PPP). AAI will take care of the airside development of the airports.

The government wants the consortium of the selected bidder and the AAI to commercially operate the airports and maintain their terminal buildings. It would also be responsible to develop and operate cargo facilities at these airports, besides undertaking the city-side development. The airport modernisation process is part of the upgrade process of 35 non-metro airports in the country by 2010.


[edit] Airlines and destinations

[edit] Domestic

[edit] International

[edit] Possible future airlines and destinations

[edit] Transport to/from airport

ATQ is well connected to the roads and main highways of Punjab. While private transport in the form of automobiles is the most popular way of reaching the airport, public transport infrastructure (with the exception of taxis) has remained weak. However this is set to change with the Punjab State Government's unveiling of plans to launch regular bus services between the airport and other cities of Punjab. Air India has also unveiled plans to provide regular bus services for its ATQ passengers to and from Jalandhar. The state government has also unveiled plans to build a monorail line to connect the airport with the Golden Temple and the Railway Station in Amritsar.

[edit] References

  1. ^ The Tribune (India) Online http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20070310/aplus1.htm
  2. ^ Jet Airways Online - Financial Presentation http://www.jetairways.com/Cultures/en-US/United+Kingdom/Investor+Relations/Results/ResultAndPresentation200607.htm
  3. ^ Ibid
  4. ^ Ibid
  5. ^ UK Civil Aviation Authority - Jan 2007 http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/80/airport_data_prov/200701/January_2007_Provisional_International_Routes.pdf
  6. ^ UK Civil Aviation Authority - Feb 2007 http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/80/airport_data_prov/200702/February_2007_Provisional_International_Routes.pdf
  7. ^ UK Civil Aviation Authority - Mar 2007 http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/80/airport_data_prov/200703/March_2007_Provisional_International_Routes.pdf
  8. ^ UK Civil Aviation Authority - May 2007 http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/80/airport_data_prov/200705/May_2007_Provisional_International_Routes.pdf
  9. ^ UK Civil Aviation Authority - Jun 2007 http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/80/airport_data_prov/200706/June_2007_Provisional_International_Routes.pdf
  10. ^ UK Civil Aviation Authority - Jul 2007 http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/80/airport_data_prov/200707/July_2007_Provisional_International_Routes.pdf
  11. ^ UK Civil Aviation Authority - Aug 2007 http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/80/airport_data_prov/200708/August_2007_Provisional_International_Routes.pdf
  12. ^ Telegraph India 2007 http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070418/asp/business/story_7661467.asp
  13. ^ Luchtzak Aviation http://www.luchtzak.be/article-topic-103.html
  14. ^ The Tribune, August 2007 - Interview with Air India's Passenger Sales Manager Mr Anil Sabharwal http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20070817/main5.htm
  15. ^ The Tribune, 2006 - http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20061019/punjab1.htm
  16. ^ 3
  17. ^ domain-b.com : Etihad seeks approval to fly to eight additional Indian destinations
  18. ^ The Tribune http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20071012/punjab1.htm
  19. ^ Outlook India Online - Interview with Lufthansa's Vice President Thierry Antinori 2006 http://www.outlookindia.com/pti_news.asp?id=434209
  20. ^ The Tribune India, 2005 http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050318/biz.htm

[edit] External links


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* Designated as a "restricted international airport" ("customs airport"). Only few international flights operate from these airports.