Rajkot Airport (original) (raw)

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Airport in Gujarat, India

Rajkot Airport
IATA: RAJICAO: VARK
Summary
Airport type Public
Operator Airports Authority of India
Serves Rajkot
Location Rajkot, Gujarat, India
Passenger services ceased 10 September 2023; 15 months ago (2023-09-10)[1]
Elevation AMSL 135 m / 443 ft
Coordinates 22°18′33″N 070°46′46″E / 22.30917°N 70.77944°E / 22.30917; 70.77944
Maps
RAJ is located in GujaratRAJRAJShow map of GujaratRAJ is located in IndiaRAJRAJShow map of India
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 05/23 1,843 6,047 Asphalt

Rajkot Airport (IATA: RAJ, ICAO: VARK) is a public airport serving the city of Rajkot, Gujarat, India. It is operated by the Airports Authority of India (AAI). It was the 4th busiest airport in Gujarat after Ahmedabad, Surat and Vadodara until all scheduled commercial operations were shifted to Rajkot International Airport on 10 September 2023. As of 2024, the airport remains open for general aviation, including VIP/VVIP traffic.[1]

In 2019, the AAI began building an apron for parking of four Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 type aircraft to reduce waiting time for passengers at the airport.[2]

Due to the expansion of the city, the airport suffered from considerable capacity restraints because of the residential and commercial areas surrounding it. This rendered the plan to extend the runway beyond 1,800 meters infeasible, and the airport's hot and high climate compounded the airport's capacity constraints. As the airport was incapable of serving aircraft larger than Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 (which is the largest aircraft operating from the airport), a plan for an entirely new airport was launched.

Airlines and destinations

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All scheduled commercial flights were shifted to the new Rajkot International Airport in Hirasar on 10 September 2023.[1]

  1. ^ a b c "Rajkot Airport shut: Commercial ops shift to new international airport today". The Indian Express. 10 September 2023. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  2. ^ "New apron to cut down waiting time for fliers". The Times of India. 10 March 2019. Retrieved 30 January 2024.