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Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport

Coordinates: 26°06′22″N 091°35′09″E / 26.10611°N 91.58583°E / 26.10611; 91.58583
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Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic / military
OwnerAirports Authority of India
OperatorGuwahati International Airport Limited[1]
ServesGuwahati
LocationBorjhar, Guwahati, Assam, India
Opened1958; 66 years ago (1958)
Focus city for
Elevation AMSL49 m / 162 ft
Coordinates26°06′22″N 091°35′09″E / 26.10611°N 91.58583°E / 26.10611; 91.58583
WebsiteLokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport
Map
GAU is located in Assam
GAU
GAU
Location of airport in Assam
GAU is located in India
GAU
GAU
GAU (India)
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
02/20 3,110 10,200 Asphalt
Statistics (April 2023 – March 2024)
Passengers5,957,609 (Increase 17.9%)
Aircraft movements46,148 (Increase 0.5%)
Cargo tonnage18,851 (Decrease 17.4%)
Source: AAI[2][3][4]

Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport (IATA: GAU, ICAO: VEGT), or Guwahati Airport, is an international airport serving Guwahati in Assam, India. It is the primary airport of North-East India, and the 12th busiest airport in India. It is located at Borjhar, 26 km (16 mi) from Dispur, the capital city of Assam and 28 km (18 mi) from Guwahati. It is named after Gopinath Bordoloi, a freedom fighter and the first Chief Minister of Assam after India's independence. The airport is managed by Airports Authority of India and serves as an Indian Air Force base.

History

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Domestic security check area of the airport
Boarding gates of the airport

The airport has undergone numerous expansions and renovations since its establishment in 1958, to facilitate socio-economic development, growth, connectivity and tourism in the state as well as in North-East India, as a gateway to the region. It handled more than 3.7 million passengers in 2017, an increase of 36% from 2016. The airport witnessed annual traffic of over 23% in 2018–19, with a total footfall of 5.7 million passengers and 55,066 aircraft movements in the same period. In 2023, the airport operated on its highest capacity in terms of passengers and aircraft movements ever since its establishment. It handled more than 5.6 million passengers and 46,600 aircraft till 31 December 2023, with an updated figure due in April 2024, thus almost touching its peak capacity of 6 million passengers per annum.[5]

In 2002, the first international flight operated by Air India from the airport to Bangkok, using an Airbus A310 aircraft, thus becoming the first international airport in the North-East region.[6][7] However, the flight was withdrawn due to poor passenger load. In January 2019, the airport won bids for two international destinations under the government's UDAN Scheme, with destinations most anticipated being Dhaka and Bangkok–Don Mueang. In November 2021, the airport won more bids, this time for six international destinations under the UDAN Scheme – Dhaka, Bangkok–Don Mueang, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Yangon.[8]

In February 2019, the airport was given on lease for 50 years' ownership to Adani Group, at the highest bid of ₹ 160 per passenger.[9]

As of February 2024, international flights in the airport are operated by Drukair from Paro to Singapore, as a connecting flight, and by Thai AirAsia to Bangkok–Don Mueang.[10][11]

To relieve the existing terminal from rising traffic and demand, a new terminal building is under construction since March 2018, and will be completed by July 2024.[12][13]

Structure

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Runway

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The airport has a 3,110 m (10,200 ft)-long and 60 m (200 ft)-wide runway, oriented 02/20, capable of handling widebody aircraft like the Boeing 787, and is equipped with CAT-III Instrument Landing System (ILS), Döppler Very High Frequency (DVOR)/Distance Measuring Equipment (DME) and PAPI lights facilities to allow flight operations to take place at night and during unfavourable weather conditions, like rain and fog. The airport has two aprons–one in front of the main passenger terminal and another in front of the under-construction second passenger terminal, together capable for parking of 25 narrowbody aircraft like the Airbus A321 and Boeing 737.[14]

Terminals

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Terminal 1

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Terminal 1 is the existing passenger terminal since 1958. It covers an area of 28,685 m2 (308,760 sq ft), and is divided into two parts for domestic and international travellers. It has three levels–the ground floor for arrivals, the mezzanine floor for boarding area and the third floor for departures. It has four aerobridges, and is capable for serving 20,000 passengers during peak hours and 6 million passengers annually. In front of its entrance, there is a large parking space for vehicles. To its north, there is a cargo terminal along with storage areas, and to its south, there are an air traffic control (ATC) tower, a fire station, a fuel station and a technical block.[14]

Facilities

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The airport has many facilities to give passengers and visitors a smooth and hassle-free experience. To connect with travel services and customised packages through the airport's staff, it offers the 'Pranaam Meet and Greet Service', a specialised service that offers customised packages and an array of services to meet travellers' requirements, including professional assistance to corporate clients and support to group travellers, senior citizens and solo travellers.[15]

Other facilities include in-line baggage handling systems, conveyor belts, booking counters, immigration and emigration counters, check-in kiosks, CCTVs, washrooms, restaurants, lounges, multiple retail stores and souvenir shops, lost and found service, free WiFi, child care facilities, cargo services, medical facilities, facilities for physically challenged passengers, duty free, porter service, foreign exchange counters and tourist information desks.[16]

Features

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The airport is an eco-friendly airport that has adopted various advanced and modern measures to ensure proper disposal of waste and ensure sustainability, such as a solid waste management system, a wastewater treatment facility, a rainwater harvesting facility, a solar power plant to the south of the terminal for generating electricity, green spaces and an underground drainage system. The upcoming Terminal 2 will also have the same features with more developed systems.[14]

Expansion

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To meet the growing demands and rising traffic in the future, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has undertaken construction of a second passenger terminal in the northern side of the airport, at a cost of ₹1,232 crore (US$150 million).[17]

The new terminal building will be capable of handling 4,300 domestic and 200 international passengers during peak hours, and about 10 million passengers annually. It will be equipped with 64 check-in counters, 20 self-check-in kiosks, 10 escalators, six elevators, six baggage claim counters, 16 self-baggage drop counters, in-line baggage security screening systems, ten aerobridges, multiple retail stores, souvenir shops and passenger-friendly facilities and amenities. [18]

The foundation stone for the new terminal was laid by the then Minister of Civil Aviation, Ashok Gajapathi Raju, and Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal in January 2018, and construction began in March 2018.[19][12] It was scheduled to be ready by June 2021. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused several delays in work due to lack of labour and restrictions, it was rescheduled to June 2022.[20][21] The cestimated completion date was again changed to be the end of 2023. As of February 2024, more than halfway of the work had been completed, and the date for completion and opening was set to July 2024.[5][18]

Airlines and destinations

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AirlinesDestinations
AirAsia Kuala Lumpur–International[22]
Air India Bangalore,[23][better source needed] Delhi, Dibrugarh,[23][better source needed] Dimapur,[citation needed] Imphal,[citation needed] Kolkata[citation needed]
Air India Express[24] Agartala, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Goa–Dabolim, Hyderabad, Imphal, Jaipur, Kolkata
Akasa Air[25] Agartala, Bangalore, Kolkata, Mumbai, Siliguri
Alliance Air Aizawl, Dibrugarh,[26] Dimapur, Imphal, Kolkata, Lilabari, Pasighat,[27][better source needed] Shillong, Tezpur[28]
Drukair Paro, Singapore[10]
IndiGo Ahmedabad (resumes 10 December 2024),[29]Agartala, Aizawl,[30] Amritsar, Bangalore, Bhubaneswar,[31][better source needed] Chandigarh, Chennai, Coimbatore, Delhi, Dibrugarh, Dimapur (begins 10 December 2024),[29] Durgapur,[32] Hyderabad, Imphal, Jaipur, Jorhat, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Pune, Silchar
SpiceJet[33] Delhi, Kolkata,[34][better source needed] Mumbai, Siliguri[35]
Thai AirAsia Bangkok–Don Mueang[11][better source needed]

Statistics

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Annual passenger traffic at GAU airport. See Wikidata query.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Guwahati International Airport". cbonds.com. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  2. ^ "Annexure III – Passenger Data" (PDF). aai.aero. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  3. ^ "Annexure II – Aircraft Movement Data" (PDF). aai.aero. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  4. ^ "Annexure IV – Freight Movement Data" (PDF). aai.aero. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  5. ^ a b Kalita, Kangkan (4 January 2024). "New terminal of Guwahati airport to take off this year". The Times of India. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
  6. ^ Singh, Bikash. "Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal flags off Guwahati-Bangkok flight". The Economic Times. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  7. ^ PTI (4 April 2002). "Guwahati joins international air route". The Times of India. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  8. ^ "Six new flights to Southeast Asian nations from Guwahati soon". The Times of India. 9 November 2021. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  9. ^ "Adani Group emerges highest bidder for Guwahati airport". Economic Times. PTI. 26 February 2019. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  10. ^ a b "DRUKAIR INCREASES SINGAPORE SERVICE FROM AUGUST 2022". Aeroroutes. 20 July 2022. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  11. ^ a b "Thai AirAsia to launch flights to Guwahati from December 1". AviationAll. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  12. ^ a b "Construction works start on India's Guwahati airport terminal". Airport Technology. 15 March 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  13. ^ "Assam: Guwahati Airport's New Terminal To Depict 'Foxtail Orchid'". The Sentinel. 2 February 2024. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  14. ^ a b c "About Us". Adani Group. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  15. ^ "Pranaam Meet and Greet Service". Adani Group. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  16. ^ "Guwahati Airport Services". Adani Group. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  17. ^ "Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport, Guwahati, India". Airport Technology. 7 May 2021. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  18. ^ a b "Assam: Guwahati airport to get new terminal representing 'Foxtail Orchid' in July". India Today NE. 2 February 2024. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  19. ^ "Gajapati Raju lays foundation stone for Guwahati Airport's new terminal". Business Standard. 28 January 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  20. ^ "Guwahati airport to get new passenger terminal by June 2021. All you need to know". India TV. 7 October 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  21. ^ Singh, Bikash (7 October 2020). "Guwahati Aiport's [sic] new Rs 1232 crore integrated terminal expected to be ready by June 2022". The Economic Times. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  22. ^ Velani, Bhavya (29 April 2024). "AirAsia Offers Free Seats on Two New Routes to India". Aviation A2Z. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  23. ^ a b "Vistara Air India Merger".
  24. ^ "Our Network". Air India Express. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  25. ^ "Akasa Air Flight Network". Akasa Air. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  26. ^ "Alliance Air to commence Guwahati-Dibrugarh service in Mar-2023". CAPA. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  27. ^ "Alliance Air Schedule". Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  28. ^ "9I737 Alliance Air Flight – Guwahati - Tezpur (GAU - TEZ)". Aviability.
  29. ^ a b "IndiGo announces new flights to bolster accessibility across East, NE India". www.business-standard.com. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  30. ^ "IndiGo to launch direct flights from Guwahati to Aizawl and Varanasi". NorthEast Now. 3 January 2020. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  31. ^ "IndiGo to launch flights to Bhubaneswar from Guwahati effective October 29". AviationAll. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  32. ^ Pall, Samreen (11 June 2024). "Durgapur: New Direct Flights To Bhubaneswar, Bagdogra, And Guwahati To Begin Starting August End". News18. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  33. ^ "SpiceJet Flight Schedule". SpiceJet. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  34. ^ "SpiceJet to resume flights to Kolkata and Patna from Guwahati effective Feb-2024". JetArena. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  35. ^ "SpiceJet to resume Guwahati-Bagdogra service from Feb-2023". CAPA. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
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Media related to Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport at Wikimedia Commons

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