Raja Sansi International Airport
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Raja Sansi International Airport Amritsar International Airport |
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IATA: ATQ – ICAO: VIAR | |||
Summary | |||
Airport type | Public | ||
Operator | Airports Authority of India | ||
Location | Amritsar, India | ||
Elevation AMSL | 756 ft / 230 m | ||
Coordinates | |||
Website | |||
Runways | |||
Direction | Length | Surface | |
ft | m | ||
16/34 | 10,791 | 3,289 | Asphalt |
Raja Sansi International Airport (IATA: ATQ, ICAO: VIAR), also known 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 75 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]
- A brand new cargo handling facility due to demands from exporters in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, who have no alternative apart from Delhi which is far too far away
- 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 considerbaly 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].
[edit] Current Airlines and Destinations
[edit] Domestic
- Air India (Delhi,Mumbai)
- Air Deccan (Delhi)
- Indian (Airlines) (Delhi)
- Jet Airways (Delhi)
[edit] International
- Air India (Birmingham, London-Heathrow, New York-JFK, Toronto-Pearson)
- Air India Express (Dubai)
- Air Slovakia (Bratislava)
- Indian (Airlines) (Sharjah)
- Jet Airways (London-Heathrow)
- Singapore Airlines (Singapore)
- Transaero (Moscow-Domodedovo)
- Turkmenistan Airlines (Ashgabat)
- Uzbekistan Airways (Tashkent)
[edit] Possible Future Airlines and Destinations
- Aeroflot - (Moscow-Sheremetyevo) [12]
- AirAsia X - (Kuala Lumpur)[13]
- Air India - (San Francisco & Vancouver [14]
- Austrian Airlines - (Vienna) [15]
- British Airways - (London Heathrow)[16]
- Egypt Air- (Cairo)
- Emirates (Dubai)
- Etihad (Abu Dhabi) [1]
- Jagson Airlines (Delhi)
- Jet Airways (Srinagar)[2]
- Lufthansa - (Frankfurt) [17]
- Thai Airways International - (Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi)[18]
[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 Amritsar Airport 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 Amritsar Railway Station.
[edit] References
- ^ The Tribune (India) Online http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20070310/aplus1.htm
- ^ Jet Airways Online - Financial Presentation http://www.jetairways.com/Cultures/en-US/United+Kingdom/Investor+Relations/Results/ResultAndPresentation200607.htm
- ^ Ibid
- ^ Ibid
- ^ UK Civil Aviation Authority - Jan 2007 http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/80/airport_data_prov/200701/January_2007_Provisional_International_Routes.pdf
- ^ UK Civil Aviation Authority - Feb 2007 http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/80/airport_data_prov/200702/February_2007_Provisional_International_Routes.pdf
- ^ UK Civil Aviation Authority - Mar 2007 http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/80/airport_data_prov/200703/March_2007_Provisional_International_Routes.pdf
- ^ UK Civil Aviation Authority - May 2007 http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/80/airport_data_prov/200705/May_2007_Provisional_International_Routes.pdf
- ^ UK Civil Aviation Authority - Jun 2007 http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/80/airport_data_prov/200706/June_2007_Provisional_International_Routes.pdf
- ^ UK Civil Aviation Authority - Jul 2007 http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/80/airport_data_prov/200707/July_2007_Provisional_International_Routes.pdf
- ^ UK Civil Aviation Authority - Aug 2007 http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/80/airport_data_prov/200708/August_2007_Provisional_International_Routes.pdf
- ^ Telegraph India 2007 http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070418/asp/business/story_7661467.asp
- ^ Luchtzak Aviation http://www.luchtzak.be/article-topic-103.html
- ^ The Tribune, August 2007 - Interview with Air India's Passenger Sales Manager Mr Anil Sabharwal http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20070817/main5.htm
- ^ The Tribune, 2006 - http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20061019/punjab1.htm
- ^ 3
- ^ Outlook India Online - Interview with Lufthansa's Vice President Thierry Antinori 2006 http://www.outlookindia.com/pti_news.asp?id=434209
- ^ The Tribune India, 2005 http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050318/biz.htm
[edit] External links
- Amritsar International Airport at Airports Authority of India web site
- Amritsar Travel - Flight Schedules to Amritsar from Birmingham or London on Jet Airways, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Air India
- World Aero Data airport information for VIAR
- ASN accident history for ATQ