Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport

Sri Guru Ram Das Ji International Airport (IATA: ATQ, ICAO: VIAR) is an international airport serving Amritsar, Punjab, India. It is located at Raja Sansi, 11 km (7 mi) north-west from the city centre. It is named after Guru Ram Das, the fourth Sikh Guru and the founder of Amritsar. The airport is the largest and the busiest airport of Punjab. It is the second-largest airport in Northern India after Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi.^[4] The airport was the 3rd fastest-growing airport in India during the fiscal year 2017–18.^[5] It is a hub of cargo movements, domestically and internationally.^[6] The airport is ranked the 6th-best regional airport in India and Central Asia in 2019 and 2020 by Skytrax.^[7] The airport is awarded as the best airport in Asia-Pacific in 2020 (2 to 5 million passengers per annum) by Airports Council International.^[8]

Sri Guru Ram Das Ji International Airport
IATA: ATQ ICAO: VIAR
Summary
Airport type	Public
Operator	Airports Authority of India
Serves	Amritsar
Location	Raja Sansi, Amritsar, Punjab, India
Opened	1930; 93 years ago (1930)
Focus city for	IndiGo Air India SpiceJet
Elevation AMSL	230 m / 756 ft
Coordinates	31°42′28″N 074°47′57″E / 31.70778°N 74.79917°E / 31.70778; 74.79917Coordinates: 31°42′28″N 074°47′57″E / 31.70778°N 74.79917°E / 31.70778; 74.79917
Website	Amritsar Airport
Map
ATQ Location of airport in Punjab Show map of Punjab ATQ ATQ (India) Show map of India
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 16/34 3,657 12,000 Asphalt
Statistics (April 2021 - March 2022)
Passengers 1,382,004 (61.8%) Aircraft movements 13,503 ( 68.5%) Cargo tonnage 1,578 ( 25.9%)
Source: AAI^[1]^[2]^[3]

History

In 1930, the airport was established during the British era, and was used for VVIP movements. After independence, it got connected with Delhi and Srinagar. The first international flight to Kabul was launched in 1960.^{[citation needed]} In January 1982, Air India started a flight from Bombay (now Mumbai) to Birmingham with stops in Delhi and Moscow. The service linked the large North Indian population in the West Midlands to its homeland and was operated by Boeing 707s.^[9][10] However, the airline terminated it in October 1984 amid the Punjab insurgency.^[11][12]

Using Boeing 777 aircraft, Air India operated services to Toronto via Birmingham in May 2005.^[13][14] The stopover changed to London in 2008.^[15] Two years later, however, the carrier replaced the route with a direct flight from its Delhi hub to Toronto.^[16][17] In November 2010, the airport's name was changed to Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport.^{[citation needed]} The following October, British Midland International (BMI) launched a connection to London via Almaty with an Airbus A330 aircraft.^[18][19] Nevertheless, the flight was discontinued in October 2012 as a consequence of the merger between BMI and British Airways.^[16][20] Air India resumed nonstop services to Birmingham in February 2018, this time using Boeing 787s.^[21][22] The airport is now connected with Rome, Milan, Tbilisi (as a stopover), Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Sharjah, Tashkent, Dubai, Doha and Malé as a seasonal route.

Facilities

 

Duty free shop at the airport

In July 2001, the construction of the first phase of the terminal building started, along with the extension of the existing runway, construction of a new Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower and other works. The construction of all Phase-1 works completed in June 2006. The arrivals section of the terminal building was inaugurated in September 2005, and the departures section was made operational in March 2006. Over the years, the old terminals (existing and Phase-1) were systematically razed, paving way for a new integrated terminal building (Phase-2). The terminal is made with built-in glass and steel and is equipped with modern facilities, like an In-line X-ray baggage inspection and conveyor system, Flight Information Display System (FIDS), Common Use Terminal Equipment (CUTE), and CCTV surveillance, which were inaugurated on 25 February 2009, with an area of approximately 40,175 square metres (432,440 sq ft), marking an improvement over the earlier 12,770-square-metre (137,500 sq ft) facility. The integrated building is a blend of modern and Indian designs, constructed in glass and steel with Indian style arches and colours. In June 2016, the airport registered a 59.6% growth of international passenger traffic.^[23]

The integrated terminal building has four aerobridges, an annual capacity of 2.5 million passengers with a peak hour capacity of 1,200 passengers. It has 30 check-in counters, 4 X-ray scanners (for baggage), 26 immigration counters, 10 custom counters, 12 security check booths, and 4 conveyor belts for arrivals. The apron has been extended to cater for parking of a total of 25 aircraft (8 Category 'E', 3 Category 'D' and 13 Category 'C' types of aircraft & 1 category 'E' for cargo) from the earlier capacity of 15 aircraft and strengthened for parking of Category 'C' type of aircraft. An additional apron has also been constructed in between the taxiway and the runway. The departure and arrival halls operate duty-free shops, where it also accommodates foreign currency exchange service, restaurants and other shops for the convenience of departing passengers.^[24] The airport registered India's highest passenger growth of over 48% for the year 2017–2018.^[25] Currently, flights coming in the airport connect it direct to over 20 destinations across India and other countries.

Terminal

 

Aerial view of the airport's terminal

The airport is spread over an area of 40,000 sq.m., with 30 check-in counters, 26 immigration counters, 12 custom counters, and 2 security check booths, and can handle 600 passengers at arrivals and 600 passengers at departures. It has capacity of serving over 2.5 million passengers per year.

Runway

The airport's runway is equipped with CAT III-B ILS, which makes the airport suitable for aircrafts landing in poor weather conditions and visibility. It was installed in 2016-17, when the runway underwent a mass upgradation, at a cost of ₹ 150 crore, and in October 2017, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) issued Low Visibility Procedures (LVP), thus allowing landing at within 50 m visual range.^{[26][27][28][29]} Before the installation of CAT III ILS, CAT II ILS was installed in December 2011 and reduced the visibility requirement for an aircraft landing at the airport on Runway 34, from the existing 650 metres to 350 metres, thus benefiting airlines in increased safety and avoiding diversions to other airports, resulting in better operational and environmental efficiencies.

Airlines and destinations

 

Apron area of the airport

 

Departures area of the airport

 

Arrivals area of the airport

Airlines	Destinations
Air India	Birmingham, Delhi, London–Heathrow, Mumbai
Air India Express	Dubai–International, Sharjah
Batik Air Malaysia	Kuala Lumpur–International
Go First	Mumbai
IndiGo	Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Goa–Dabolim, Hyderabad, Jammu, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Pune, Sharjah, Srinagar
Neos	Milan–Malpensa^[30]^[31] Seasonal: Malé
Qatar Airways	Doha
Scoot	Singapore
SpiceJet	Ahmedabad, Delhi, Dubai–International, Patna Seasonal: Bergamo^1,^[32] Rome–Fiumicino^1^[33]
Uzbekistan Airways	Tashkent
Vistara	Delhi

Notes:

^1 : SpiceJet flights between Amritsar and Bergamo/Rome Fiumicino (in both directions) make a stop in Tbilisi. However, the airline does not have traffic rights to transport passengers solely between Amritsar and Tbilisi.^[34]

Statistics

Annual passenger traffic at ATQ airport. See Wikidata query.

Future plans

To stimulate the growing demands and future traffic, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has proposed to expand the current integrated passenger terminal at a cost of ₹ 240 crore, which will increase the existing handling capacity of 2.5 million passengers per year to 5.5 million passengers per year. Along with this, an additional ₹ 60 crore were invested for the construction of an another apron, taxiways and upgradation of the terminal, which are now completed.

The airport is also proposed to be leased out for privatization on a Public Private Partnership (PPP) basis, along with 5 other major airports operated by the Airports Authority of India (AAI). With privatization, the infrastructure at airport is expect to rapidly improve further.

With the completion of the under-construction Delhi–Amritsar–Katra Expressway, the travel time from Amritsar to Delhi Airport will be cut half from current over 8 hours to almost 4 hours.^[35] This may result in reduction in passenger growth on this route, but will give better road connectivity between the city and the National Capital.

Connectivity

Road

The airport is connected by 4-lane National Highway 354, which runs from Amritsar to Ajnala. Taxis can be taken from the taxi stand at the airport. Both Ola Cabs and Uber are available in the city. Auto rickshaws and local buses also connect the city to the airport. The under-construction Delhi—Amritsar—Katra Expressway will have the first branch from Delhi to the airport, and the second branch till Katra in Jammu and Kashmir, which will improve the connectivity further.^[36]

Metrobus

The airport is connected by Route 501 of Amritsar Metrobus, which connects it directly to Amritsar Junction, Golden Temple and many other locations in the network of Amritsar Metrobus. It operates at a frequency of every 10–15 minutes.^[37][38]

See also

• Aviation in India
• Golden Temple
• Amritsar Metrobus
• Amritsar Ring Road
• List of airports in India
• List of the busiest airports in India

References

1. "Annexure III - Passenger Data" (PDF). www.aai.aero. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
2. "Annexure II - Aircraft Movement Data" (PDF). www.aai.aero. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
3. "Annexure IV - Freight Movement Data" (PDF). www.aai.aero. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
4. Airports Authority of India [@AAI_Official] (7 September 2020). "#AAI's Amritsar Airport @aaiasrairport, the second largest airport of Northern Region, was strategically set up to ease @DelhiAirport's operational load.#IconicAirportTerminals t.co/fZG66TAA3d" (Tweet). Retrieved 9 January 2021 – via Twitter.
5. C, D. "Amritsar beats all international Airports in India with 83.5% growth in domestic traffic - Asian Independent".
6. Airports Authority of India [@AAI_Official] (11 December 2020). "#AAI's Amritsar @aaiasrairport has been a hub of cargo movements, domestically and internationally. The airport continues to thrive in delivering essentials and other necessary items across the globe, smoothly. #DeliveringHappiness t.co/lpyjfSWpZG" (Tweet). Retrieved 9 January 2021 – via Twitter.
7. "The World's Best Regional Airports 2021".
8. "2020 - Best Airport by Size and Region".
9. "New passage to India". Birmingham Evening Mail. 4 January 1982. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
10. "Flying Elmdon-to-India, first stop Moscow". Sandwell Evening Mail. 2 January 1982. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
11. Singh, Prabhjot (11 December 2000). "Rajasansi airport: Ramoowalia blames CM". The Tribune. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
12. "Air-India flights to Toronto after 8 years". Xinhua News Agency. 9 May 2005. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
13. Jolly, Asit (15 May 2005). . BBC News. Archived from the original on 13 January 2006. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
14. "Air India wants to boost Brum route". The Birmingham Post. 21 April 2005. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
15. "Air India moves Toronto, Amritsar flights via London". Press Trust of India. 23 September 2008. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
16. Bagga, Neeraj (27 February 2016). "Airport's temporary cargo centre lies closed". The Tribune. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
17. "Air India to launch direct flight between Toronto and Delhi". The Economic Times. 5 August 2010. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
18. "British Midland International starts direct service between London and Amritsar". Business Standard. 15 October 2011. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
19. "BMI launches Amritsar-London flight". United News of India. 14 October 2011. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
20. "Bmi Announces Winter 2012 Schedule and Continued Integration with British Airways". Travel Business Review. 30 July 2012. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
21. "Air India launches non-stop New Delhi-Amritsar-Birmingham flight". Asian News International. 20 February 2018. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
22. "Air India commences Birmingham-Amritsar direct service". Travel Business Review. 22 February 2018. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
23. Khare, Harish (30 August 2016). "59.6% increase in passenger footfall at Amritsar airport". Tribuneindia.com. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
24. Press Release By PIB http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=47938
25. "Amritsar airport tops country in terms of passenger growth | punjab | amritsar | Hindustan Times". M.hindustantimes.com. 22 April 2016. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
26. "Amritsar Airport ushers in CAT II Instrument Landing System" (PDF). Retrieved 12 March 2017.
27. "Airports Authority of India". www.aai.aero. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
28. "Amritsar airport set for night flights after runway revamp". Tribuneindia.com. 30 April 2017. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
29. (PDF). 9 December 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 December 2017. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
30. Singh, Ravreet (17 August 2022). "Neos Airlines Ramps-Up Capacity Between Amritsar And Milan, Italy". FlyAmritsar. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
31. Casey, David (7 September 2022). "ITA Adds India and Japan Routes". Routes Online. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
32. "SpiceJet starts one-stop flight to Italy from Amritsar". The Times of India. 3 November 2022. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
33. "SpiceJet starts one-stop flight to Italy from Amritsar". The Times of India. 3 November 2022. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
34. "SpiceJet starts one-stop flight to Italy from Amritsar". The Times of India. 3 November 2022. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
35. "अमृतसर हवाईअड्डे का 300 करोड़ से विकास होगा".
36. "अमृतसर हवाईअड्डे का 300 करोड़ से विकास होगा". Amar Ujala (in Hindi). Retrieved 5 January 2023.
37. "एयरपोर्ट से घी मंडी तक भी जाएगी बीआरटीएस बस, 15 रुपये होगा किराया".
38. "Amritsar Metro Bus Services".

External links

  Media related to Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport at Wikimedia Commons