Raja Bhoj Airport (IATA: BHO, ICAO: VABP) is the primary airport serving Bhopal, capital of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Named after the 10th century Paramara king Raja Bhoj, it is the second busiest airport in Madhya Pradesh after Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Airport in Indore in terms of passenger movement and aircraft movement. Bhopal Airport is set to get the Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility due to its advantageous central location in India.[4]
Raja Bhoj Airport | |||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Summary | |||||||||||||||
Airport type | Public | ||||||||||||||
Owner | Airports Authority of India | ||||||||||||||
Operator | Airports Authority of India | ||||||||||||||
Serves | Bhopal, Sehore, Hoshangabad, Guna, Raisen Madhya Pradesh | ||||||||||||||
Location | Gandhi Nagar, Bhopal | ||||||||||||||
Elevation AMSL | 1,719 ft / 524 m | ||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 23°17′15″N 077°20′15″E | ||||||||||||||
Maps | |||||||||||||||
![]() ![]() BHO Location of airport in India Show map of Madhya Pradesh![]() ![]() BHO BHO (India) Show map of India | |||||||||||||||
![]() | |||||||||||||||
Runways | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Statistics (April 2020 - March 2021) | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
It is located in the north-western side of Bhopal, 15 kilometers away from the Bhopal Junction railway station in the city centre, and 20 kilometers away from the Rani Kamalapati (Habibganj) Railway Station in the south of the city. The airport is also near the intersection of National Highway 46 (which forms a ring-road around Bhopal) and State Highway 18, which connects Bhopal to Indore.
In 2010, the length of the runway was increased to 2,744 metres (9,003 ft), making it possible for larger aircraft to land at Bhopal.[5] The first direct seasonal international flight from Bhopal was to Jeddah, a Hajj charter flown by Saudia on 23 October 2010 for Hajj travellers.[6]
In 2013, the airport became the first airport in the state to use solar power for running its utility grid system. A 100-kilowatt solar power plant was made operational in June 2013, with plans to install a 2-megawatt solar power plant at the airport in the future.[7] The airport has night landing facilities, an Instrument Landing System (ILS) and CAT VII fire services.[8]
A new Air Cargo Hub is being planned with 17 acres land sanctioned near the airport for the same, while for now, the old terminal building is being redeveloped into a Cargo Complex to increase cargo operations from the capital airport. The temporary Air Cargo Complex will be inaugurated by October 2019.[9]
Bhopal airport has been selected as one of the eight new destinations to set up Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility in India. The central location of the airport throughout the country provides ample growth and logistics prospects for the facility.[4]
In September, the DGCA started the process for granting international status to Raja Bhoj airport.[10] In November 2019, a joint central team composed of members of the Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Civil Aviation visited the airport to review the arrangements in starting immigration facilities, and did not find any major hurdles.[10] With this, the airport is all set to become an immigration check post,[10] which is a mandatory requirement for operating international flights.
Bhopal airport established a selfie point in view of glorifying the importance of life in any difficulties.Raja Bhoj airport supported the campaign 'Say Yes To Life' runs buy eminent psychiatrist Dr Satyakant Trivedi(psychiatrist in bhopal) who is a member of suicide prevention task force, Madhya Pradesh.[11][12]
The integrated terminal building worth Rs 1.35 billion was inaugurated on 28 June 2011 by the then Civil Aviation minister, Vayalar Ravi.[13] The state government had given 400 acres of land for the construction of international terminal. The terminal building is built over an area of 26,936 square metres (289,940 sq ft) and has 14 check-in counters, 4 immigration counters for departures and 6 immigration counters for arrival.
It also has twenty-two customs counters, 11 for arrival and 11 for departure, and six X-ray machines for security.[8] The terminal, now, also has an eatery and a few retail stores, that were developed as part of the Airport Authority of India (AAI) scheme of master concessionaire. The terminal is connected with 4 aerobridges.
Airlines | Destinations |
---|---|
Air India | Delhi, Mumbai |
IndiGo | Agra, Ahmedabad, Allahabad, Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Raipur, Udaipur[14] |
| |
---|---|
History |
|
Geography |
|
Administration |
|
Landmarks |
|
Transport |
|
Education |
|
Sports |
|
Suburbs |
|
Economy |
|
Other |
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|