All international flights in the past had to be directed from Ahmedabad or Mumbai, no longer though, as a new airport to be opened in Rajkot. A 1,405 crore greenfield airport is under construction at Hirasar in Rajkot by the Airport Authority of India. The aim of the project is to provide a transportation medium for people traveling abroad from the state.
The new Rajkotairport runway will be long enough to handle A321 aircraft type, and airlines could accordingly offer short and medium haul flights from the Middle East, Europe and Asia. The airport is set to have parking slots for 14 aircrafts. The terminal design is influenced by the already existing places of Rajkot such as the Ranjit Vilas Palace. It is planned that an outer skin of authentic jalis will be constructed to minimize the heat gain inside the building.
The airport will be located 30 kms from Rajkot, on the Rajkot- Ahmedabad highway. It will be spread over 2,534 acres.
The total build up area of the terminal building excluding the basement is 23,000 sqm and it will be large enough to carry 1,800 passengers during peak hours, shared AAI in a press statement issued on a Friday.
Furthermore, the terminal will be provided with state of the art passenger facilities, four passenger board bridges, three conveyor belts and 20 check in counters along with firefighting and fire alarm systems.
