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Swami Vivekananda Airport Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swami_Vivekananda_Airport

Swami Vivekananda Airport
Swami Vivekananda Airport, Raipur.jpg
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerAirports Authority of India
OperatorAirports Authority of India
ServesRaipur, Bhilai, Durg
LocationMana area Raipur, Chhattisgarh
Opened1975
Time zone(+5:30)
Elevation AMSL317 m / 1,041 ft
Coordinates21°10′52″N 081°44′18.5″E / 21.18111°N 81.738472°E / 21.18111; 81.738472Coordinates: 21°10′52″N 081°44′18.5″E / 21.18111°N 81.738472°E / 21.18111; 81.738472
Websitewww.raipurairport.com
Maps
RPR is located in Chhattisgarh
RPR
RPR
Location of airport in India
RPR is located in India
RPR
RPR
RPR (India)
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
06/24 2,286[1] 7,500 Asphalt
Helipads
Number Length Surface
m ft
H1 20 65 Concrete
Statistics (April 2021 - March 2022)
Passenger movements1,407,157 (Increase 35.2%)
Aircraft movements15,107 (Increase 42%)
Cargo tonnage6,024 (Increase 21.7%)
Source: AAI[2][3][4]

Swami Vivekananda International Airport (IATA: RPR, ICAO: VERP) (referred as VARP until February 2018),[5][6][7] formerly known as Mana Airport, is a major airport serving the state of Chhattisgarh, India. It is the busiest airport in Central India and the busiest in Chhattisgarh. The airport is located at Mana between Raipur at a distance of 15 km (9.3 mi) and 10 km (6.2 mi) from Naya Raipur.[8] It is the 26th busiest airport in India by passenger traffic.

On 24 January 2012, the airport was renamed after Swami Vivekananda, as a tribute to the popular saint who spent a major part of his life in Raipur.[9]

Swami Vivekananda's statue at the airport's entrance

Airfield[edit]

Swami Vivekananda Airport has a single runway—Runway 06/24—measuring 2,286 m (7,500 ft) in length and 45 m (148 ft) in width.[1] The runway has been extended to 3,251 m (10,666 ft).[10] but it is not yet operationalised due to non-availability of land for Construction of perimeter Boundary wall alongside patrolling road inside airport area, unless Chhattisgarh Government handover the 24 acre land required for construction of perimeter boundary wall to AAI, the extended part of runway will not be operationalised. As of Feb 2022 the state government is yet to transfer the land.

The airfield is equipped with night landing facilities such as CAT-1 instrument landing system (ILS) at Runway 24, and navigational aids such as DVOR, DME, NDB, and PAPI.

Airfield view from Aircraft
Airside view from Terminal
Aircraft at Apron
ATC tower with complex building

The apron has six parking bays which can accommodate A320/B737 category of aircraft and a helipad (Works to accommodate a 7th A320/B737 category aircraft on the apron are underway). The airport is equipped with category VI firefighting and rescue capability with provisions for category VII on demand.[11]

A defunct aircraft of United Airways Bangladesh which made emergency landing in September 2015 is lying at Raipur Airport as of March 2021[12]

Terminals[edit]

New integrated terminal[edit]

The new integrated terminal was inaugurated on 7 November 2012 by then President of India Pranab Mukherjee. Built at a cost of about ₹165 crore (US$21 million), the building covers an area of 22,000 m2 (5.4 acres). It is designed to handle 1300 passengers at a time, including 400 international passengers.[13]

The new terminal has three aero-bridges, eight boarding gates, twenty check-in counters, eight X-ray baggage machines, four security counters, and two conveyor belts for luggage. Construction for fourth aero-bridge is under-consideration.[11][14]

Terminal building night view
Terminal inside view
Interior of New terminal

Cargo terminal[edit]

The Common User Domestic Cargo Terminal (CUDCT) was inaugurated on 4 June 2016, fulfilling the long pending demand of the state to start air cargo operations. The AAI has converted the old terminal building into CUDCT to handle cargo operations. Ahmedabad based GSEC Limited has bagged the contract to operate and maintain the CUDCT for an initial period of five years.[15]

Airlines and destinations[edit]

AirlinesDestinations
Air India Mumbai, Visakhapatnam
Alliance Air Jagdalpur, Jharsuguda
IndiGo Ahmedabad, Allahabad, Bangalore, Bhubaneswar, Bhopal, Chennai, Delhi, Goa, Hyderabad, Indore, Jagdalpur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Pune, Srinagar
Vistara Delhi

Connectivity[edit]

The airport is located 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) from Raipur Junction railway station and 17 kilometres (11 mi) from Bhatgaon ISBT Raipur. It is well connected by Raipur and Naya Raipur BRTS and cabs such as Ola and Uber. In addition, the Raipur Urban Public Transport Society operates direct air-conditioned city buses to the neighbouring cities of Bhilai and Durg, via Raipur.[16]

Statistics[edit]

Annual passenger traffic at RPR airport. See source Wikidata query.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Swami Vivekananda Airport, Raipur -Brochure" (PDF). AAI. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
  2. ^ "Annexure III - Passenger Data" (PDF). www.aai.aero. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  3. ^ "Annexure II - Aircraft Movement Data" (PDF). www.aai.aero. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  4. ^ "Annexure IV - Freight Movement Data" (PDF). www.aai.aero. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  5. ^ "Airport codes Raipur in Raipur, India (IN)". airportsbase.org. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  6. ^ "Raipur - India". World Airport Codes. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  7. ^ "Live Flight Tracker - Real-Time Flight Tracker Map". Flightradar24. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  8. ^ "Airports Authority of India". www.aai.aero. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
  9. ^ "Renaming of Mana Airport at Raipur in Chhattisgarh as "Swami Vivekanand Airport, Raipur"". pib.nic.in. Archived from the original on 12 August 2017. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
  10. ^ "AAI awards work for extension of Raipur Airport runway". The Pioneer. 14 January 2018. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  11. ^ a b "Airports Authority of India, Technical Information". www.aai.aero. Archived from the original on 16 February 2009. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
  12. ^ Deol, Taran (12 March 2021). "Why a Bangladesh plane that made emergency landing in 2015 is still stuck in Raipur". ThePrint. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
  13. ^ Bagchi, Suvojit (8 November 2012). "Pranab hopes Raipur airport's new terminal will support Chhattisgarh's growth". The Hindu. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
  14. ^ "Airports Authority of India, Passenger Information". www.aai.aero. Archived from the original on 16 February 2009. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
  15. ^ "Cargo terminal inaugurated at Raipur airport". The Times of India. 4 June 2016. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  16. ^ "एयरपोर्ट से दुर्ग के लिए आठ एसी सिटी बसों को मिला परमिट". Nai Dunia (in Hindi). 8 January 2016. Retrieved 1 July 2017.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Swami Vivekananda Airport.