Swami Vivekananda Airport

Swami Vivekananda Airport (IATA: RPR, ICAO: VERP),[5][6][7] formerly known as Mana Airport, is a domestic airport serving the state of Chhattisgarh, India. The airport is located at Mana, approximately 15 km (9.3 mi) south-east of Raipur and 10 km (6.2 mi) east of Naya Raipur, situated conveniently between the two cities.[8] On 24 January 2012, the airport was renamed after Swami Vivekananda, the iconic Hindu monk and philosopher who spent three years of his youth in Raipur between 1877 and 1879.[9]

Swami Vivekananda Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerAirports Authority of India
OperatorAirports Authority of India
ServesRaipur Metropolitan Region
LocationMana, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India
Opened1975; 49 years ago (1975)
Time zone(+5:30)
Elevation AMSL317 m / 1,041 ft
Coordinates21°10′53″N 081°44′26″E / 21.18139°N 81.74056°E / 21.18139; 81.74056
WebsiteRaipur Airport
Maps
RPR is located in Chhattisgarh
RPR
RPR
Location of airport in India
RPR is located in India
RPR
RPR
RPR (India)
Map
Runways
DirectionLengthSurface
mft
06/242,286[1]7,500Asphalt
Helipads
NumberLengthSurface
mft
H12065Concrete
Statistics (April 2023 - March 2024)
Passengers2,432,118 (Increase 8%)
Aircraft movements18,890 (Decrease 8.5%)
Cargo tonnage4,967 (Decrease 12.3%)
Source: AAI[2][3][4]

In the period between April 2023 and March 2024, it handled around 2.5 million passengers, and has been the busiest airport in Chhattisgarh, and the second busiest in Central India after Indore airport and the 29th busiest airport in India by passenger traffic.[2]

Airfield edit

Spread over an area of 700 acres (280 ha), Swami Vivekananda Airport has a single 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 has not been operationalised yet due to delays in transferring land for the construction of perimeter boundary wall alongside patrolling road inside the airport area.

The airfield is equipped with night landing facilities such as ILS CAT II[11] instrument landing system (ILS) at Runway 24, and navigational aids such as ADS-B,[12] DVOR, DME, NDB, and PAPI.

The apron has seven parking bays which can accommodate A320/B737 category of aircraft. The airport is equipped with category VI firefighting and rescue capability with provisions for category VII on demand.[13]

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$20 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.[14]

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.[13][15]

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.[16]

Airlines and destinations edit

AirlinesDestinations
Alliance Air Jagdalpur, Hyderabad
IndiaOne Air Bhawanipatna
IndiGo Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Bhubaneswar,[17] Bhopal, Chennai, Delhi, Goa–Dabolim,[18] Hyderabad, Indore, Jagdalpur,[19] Kochi,[20] Kolkata, Lucknow,[17] Mumbai, Prayagraj (resumes 16 August 2024), Pune
Vistara Delhi

Statistics edit

Annual passenger traffic at RPR airport.See Wikidata query.

Aerocity edit

In 2023, the Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Bhupesh Baghel laid the foundation stone of Aerocity near Raipur Airport in 25 acre of land in Ramchandi area of Naya Raipur, it will have High-end hotels, Convention center, Shopping complexes and upscale restaurants along with entertainment facilities.[21][22][23][24]

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.[25]

Gallery edit

See also edit

References edit

External links edit