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Gwalior Airport

Coordinates: 26°17′36″N 078°13′40″E / 26.29333°N 78.22778°E / 26.29333; 78.22778
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Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
Owner/OperatorAirport Authority of India
ServesGwalior
LocationMaharajpura, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India
Opened1940; 84 years ago (1940)[1]
Time zoneIndian Standard Time (+5:30)
Elevation AMSL617 ft / 188 m
Coordinates26°17′36″N 078°13′40″E / 26.29333°N 78.22778°E / 26.29333; 78.22778
WebsiteGwalior Airport
Map
GWL is located in Madhya Pradesh
GWL
GWL
GWL is located in India
GWL
GWL
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
06L/24R 9,000 2,743 Asphalt
06R/24L 9,000 2,743 Asphalt
Statistics (April 2023 – March 2024)
Passengers275,397 (Increase 26.2%)
Aircraft movements3,670 (Increase 7.2%)
Cargo tonnage10 (Decrease 86.4%)
Source: AAI[2][3][4]

Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia Airport (IATA: GWL, ICAO: VIGR), also known as Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia Terminal, is a Domestic Airport manage and operates by Airport Authority of India serving the city of Gwalior,[5] Madhya Pradesh, India. It is located in Maharajpura, 10 km (6 mi) north-east of Gwalior. It is one of the four major airports in Madhya Pradesh. The airport is named after Vijaya Raje Scindia, one of the founding members of Bharatiya Janata Party, former prominent Member of Parliament and Maharani of the erstwhile Gwalior State ruled by the Scindia dynasty. It is the oldest and largest airport of Madhya Pradesh in terms of size and only airport in Central India which has two runways. It is the closest Airport to the famous Kuno National Park[6] (home to Namibian Cheetahs).

In 1937, JRD Tata and Nevill Vincent piloted a Waco YQC-6 biplane VT-AIX on the first airmail service between Gwalior and Bombay.[7]

The airport is spread over 760.7 acres (307.8 hectares). The terminal building is spread over 20,000 m2 (220,000 sq ft), completed in 16 months and can handle 1,400 peak hour passengers, which is 3 times more than the old terminal building, and ancillary buildings, car parking, city-side development and other associated works at the airport. The construction of the new apron and the taxiways including associated works for parking of 13 narrow body or small aircraft at the airport and there are some modern technologies, such as rainwater harvesting and solar energy will be used in the development of the new terminal building, by the commissioning of a new 2.5 GW solar power plant. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has taken up the work for expansion of the airport. The airport is the only air force base in India with two operational parallel runways.

History

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During the outbreak of World War I in 1942, the Royal Air Force (RAF) built this airport as a training base for pilots, and it also played an important role in the war effort, contributing to the Allied victory. When the war ended in 1947, it was transferred to the Indian Air Force (IAF), which also coincided with India’s independence. Indian Air Force IAS continues to operate a base at the airport, contributing to national security. Civil Aviation was opened in 1958, marking the beginning of new commercial connectivity for Gwalior airport. The airport’s first commercial flight was an Indian Airlines Douglas DC3 from Delhi [8]

The second runway was built in February 2009 and became operational in October 2010. airport’s infrastructure and facilities were upgraded during the 2000s. Recent changes include the construction of a new and larger terminal building at Gwalior airport, as well as the addition of some modern amenities is completed.

Airlines and destinations

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AirlinesDestinations
Air India Express Bangalore,[9] Hyderabad (resumes 27 October 2024)[10]
IndiGo Delhi,[11] Mumbai[12]

Statistics

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Annual passenger traffic at GWL airport. See Wikidata query.

Accidents and incidents

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  • On 4 May 2021 a Beechcraft 250 belonging to the state of Madhya Pradesh crashed while landing at the airport. The three crew were hospitalized with minor injuries. The aircraft was carrying Remdesivir injections, which were undamaged.[13]

References

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  1. ^ "Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport (IDR) In Indore".
  2. ^ "Annexure III – Passenger Data" (PDF). aai.aero. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  3. ^ "Annexure II – Aircraft Movement Data" (PDF). aai.aero. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  4. ^ "Annexure IV – Freight Movement Data" (PDF). aai.aero. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  5. ^ Rajmata Vijaya Raje Scindia Airport Terminal, AAI. "Gwalior Airport".
  6. ^ "How to reach". Kuno National Park. 11 October 2024. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
  7. ^ Goswami, Arunansh B. (6 August 2023). "The Maharajas of Indian aviation — how three generations of Scindias pioneered air travel". The Print. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
  8. ^ Gupta, Sanskrati (23 February 2024). "Gwalior Airport: History, location, facilities, hotels, real estate more". Housing News. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  9. ^ "Air India Express to launch flights to Ayodhya from January 16". JetArena. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  10. ^ "Air India Express Resumes Gwalior Flights". kvkndp. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  11. ^ "IndiGo to Start Daily Flights Connecting Gwalior with Indore, Delhi from September 1".
  12. ^ David Casey (18 November 2022). "Routes In Brief: Rolling Daily Updates (W/C Nov. 14, 2022)". Routes.
  13. ^ Tomar, Shruti (7 May 2021). "Plane carrying Remdesivir injections crash lands in MP's Gwalior". The Hindustan Times. Retrieved 9 May 2021.

[1]

[edit]

Media related to Rajmata Vijaya Raje Scindia Airport at Wikimedia Commons

  1. ^ "Gwalior new terminal" https://www.timesnownews.com/business-economy/economy/gwalior-airport-to-get-new-terminal-ancillary-buildings-with-enhanced-capacity-at-the-cost-of-rs-446-crore-article-90423684
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