Allahabad Airport (IATA: IXD, ICAO: VEAB), officially known as Prayagraj Airport, is a military airbase and public airport serving the city of Allahabad, in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located in Bamrauli, 12 km (7.5 mi) from Allahabad city and serves domestic flights. It is one of the oldest airports in India. The airport is jointly operated by the Indian Air Force and Airports Authority of India. It is 3rd largest airport in Uttar Pradesh after Lucknow and Varanasi.
Allahabad Airport | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Summary | |||||||||||
Airport type | Military/Public | ||||||||||
Owner | Indian Air Force | ||||||||||
Operator | Airports Authority of India / Indian Air Force | ||||||||||
Serves | Allahabad | ||||||||||
Location | Bamrauli | ||||||||||
Opened | 1931 (91 years ago) (1931)[1][2] [3] | ||||||||||
Elevation AMSL | 322 ft / 98 m | ||||||||||
Coordinates | 25°26′24″N 81°44′02″E | ||||||||||
Website | Official website ![]() | ||||||||||
Map | |||||||||||
![]() ![]() IXD Location in Uttar Pradesh | |||||||||||
Runways | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Statistics (April 2021 - March 2022) | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
It is located in Bamrauli area of Prayagraj and it is headquarters of Central Air Command. It's one of the bases of Indian Armed Forces which operates under Central Air Command of Indian Air Force.
In 1911, on 18 February the domestic commercial aviation took birth in India where Henri Piquet flew a Humber bi-plane carrying mail from Allahabad (from a polo field) to Naini, which is approximately six miles away.[6] The airport at Allahabad with dedicated airfield whose construction was started in 1924.[7]
In 1931, the aerodrome at Allahabad was set up and the foundation for Air Traffic control services was laid with the appointment of an Indian Aerodrome Officer, specially trained at the airport in the UK.[8]
It was among the first four international airports of the country. It catered to international flights with direct services to London till 1932.[2]
In July 1933, Imperial Airways commenced the operation of its flight on the Karachi-Jodhpur-Delhi-Kanpur-Allahabad-Kolkata route, which ran until June 1940.[9] The airfield at Bamrauli was also used as one of the five compulsory stops of the MacRobertson Trophy Air Race which took place in October 1934.[10]
From 1941 to the early 2000s, the airport did not cater to any regular commercial flight services. In early months of 2003, Air Sahara became the first carrier to re-introduce services at the airport with connectivity to cities like Delhi and Kolkata.[11] However, the services soon became defunct following economic crisis. In 2005, Alliance Air (a regional connectivity subsidiary under Air India) started its Allahabad-Delhi flight service on the ATR-72 fleet, which continues to be operational to this date, with minor non-operational periods in between.
In 2013, SpiceJet introduced its operation in the Delhi-Allahabad sector, along with Alliance Air commencing its Allahabad-Mumbai flight, both of which were closed down due to non-availability of ILS and Night Landing facility at the airport after running for a few months.[12][13]
Seeking limited operational and structural facilities, construction of a new civilian terminal and installation of ILS system on existing runway began in January 2018.[14] The newly constructed terminal was opened to public in January 2019 and since then is serving regular flight operations at Allahabad.[15]
The airport is served by a single runway 12/30, which is 2,560 meters (8,400 ft) long and 45 meters (148 ft) wide.[16]
The airport has ILS CAT-I compliant for landing during the night, bad weather and foggy conditions.[17][non-primary source needed] The Instrument Landing System was installed during 2018–2019 expansion phase, along with construction of the new terminal. Other than enhancing safety for landing of flights in visibility as low as 550 meters, the installation of ILS finally allowed the airport to operate flights at night.[18]
Construction of the new terminal began in January 2018 and was completed in December 2018. It was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The terminal was constructed for ₹164 crore (US$21 million).[19][14] A total of 83 acres (34 ha) was allocated for the construction of this terminal.[15]
The terminal is 6700 square meter; has a peak hour capacity of 300 passengers and four aircraft parking bays for Airbus A320 and Boeing 737.[20][19]
The building has an electric operated trolley gate on the link taxi track to segregate the operational area of Airports Authority of India and Indian Air Force. There has been use of fly ash bricks; double insulated door and the building is equipped with water harvesting and has a sewage treatment plant of its own.[21]
In February 2021, it was reported that there are plans for complete makeover of the civil enclave of Allahabad in Bamrauli in terms of size and the facilities. The AAI proposed an increase in the airport area twice its current size, with the present building of the airport being expanded on both sides, keeping the terminal same. It will also include increasing the size of lounge, the number of aprons and the possibility to add two more aero-bridges.[22]
Airlines | Destinations |
---|---|
Alliance Air | Bilaspur, Delhi[23] |
IndiGo | Bangalore, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Dehradun, Delhi, Gorakhpur, Indore, Lucknow,[24] Mumbai, Pune, Raipur |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
![]() | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Leadership |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Components & commands |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Military academies |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Insignia |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
History & future |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|