Vijayawada Airport

International Airport in Vijayawada, India

Vijayawada Airport

* IATA: VGA
* ICAO: VOBZ

Summary
Airport type| Public
Owner| Airports Authority of India
Operator| Airports Authority of India
Serves| Andhra Pradesh Capital Region
Location| Gannavaram, Andhra Pradesh, India
Elevation AMSL| 82 ft / 25 m
Coordinates| 16°31′44″N 80°47′45″E﻿ / ﻿16.52889°N 80.79583°E﻿ / 16.52889; 80.79583
Website| Vijayawada Airport
Map

VGA

Show map of Andhra Pradesh

VGA

Show map of India

Runways
| Direction | Length  | Surface

|
|

ft  | m
08/26  | 11,000  | 3,360  | Asphalt
Statistics (April 2023 - March 2024)
| Passengers| 1,062,506 ( 9.9%)

|

Aircraft movements| 15,214 ( 4.3%)
Cargo tonnage| 810 ( 36.5%)

Source: AAI[1][2][3]

Name board at airport

Vijayawada Airport, (IATA: VGA, ICAO: VOBZ), officially known as Vijayawada International Airport,[4][5] is an international airport serving the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region, Andhra Pradesh, India.[6][7][8][9][10] The airport is located at Gannavaram, where National Highway 16 connecting Chennai to Kolkata passes through. The Government of India granted international status to the airport on 3 May 2017.[11]

## History

[edit]

The airfield located at Gannavaram served as an army base during the World War II, after which it was converted into a civilian airport. Air Deccan introduced a daily service between Hyderabad and Vijayawada in September 2003.[12] Until 2011, the airport had only four flights a day operated by Kingfisher Airlines.[13] In 2011, flag carrier Air India and private airlines Spicejet and Jet Airways introduced direct flights to the airport, but the latter terminated its service. Air Costa, a regional airline started operations in October 2013, with Vijayawada as its operational hub, which later suspended services.

To cater to the increasing passenger traffic, the foundation stone for a new interim terminal building was laid in October 2015.[14] The terminal, designed to handle two million passengers per annum was opened on 12 January 2017. It was expected to be sufficient for passenger needs for the next four-five years until a larger integrated terminal was built.[15] After domestic operations were shifted to the interim terminal, the old airport terminal building was closed and was prepared to handle international services. The terminal was equipped with a customs and immigration section and additional facilities and security arrangements.[16]

The Central Government granted international status to the airport on 3 May 2017.[17] However, it was only after the state government offered viability gap funding (VGF) to airlines for operating international flights, that private operator IndiGo bid for the contract to operate two flights a week to Singapore.[18]

On 4 December 2018, Indigo flight 6E 33 departed for Singapore Changi Airport,[19] marking the inaugural international flight for Vijayawada and getting an international footprint for Vijayawada.[20] The flight was terminated in July 2019 after the six-month VGF agreement lapsed and the state government refused to extend the agreement.[21]

Panorama of new terminal

## Facilities

[edit]

### Structure

[edit]

The airport is spread over 1265 acres. Initially, it was spread over 567, and later 698 acres were pooled from adjoining villages.[citation needed] It has 24 parking bays for A320, B737, ATR-72, and Bombardier Q400.[22]

### Runways

[edit]

The airport has one runway:

* Runway 08/26: 3,360 by 45 metres (11,024 ft × 148 ft), ILS equipped

The airport's runway has been expanded to 3360m from 2270m. It can now handle wide body aircraft like Boeing 747, Boeing 777, Boeing 787, Airbus A330, Airbus A340 and Airbus A350.[23]

### Terminal

[edit]

The interim terminal spreads over 12,999 square metres and includes a check-in area, arrival hall, meet and greet service staircase, aviation lounge, and baggage pick up area. The lounge is spread over 3,613 square metres. The terminal can handle up to 500 passengers at a time and has 18 check-in counters.[24]

* Check-In area at the interim terminal

* Domestic Departure Hall

* Boarding Gates, Domestic Departure Hall

* Interiors at Vijayawada Airport in 2020

## Transport

[edit]

Vijayawada Airport is located on National Highway 16 which connects Chennai to Kolkata and APSRTC runs AIRPORT Liner City Bus from PNBS, and the airport cab services, Ola Cabs, Uber, Rapido services are available to explore the city and as well as to reach Vijayawada Junction, Pandit Nehru Bus Station, and all major parts of the city and the state.

## Expansion

[edit]

A brand new integrated terminal building is under construction ever since its foundation stone was laid by the then Minister of Civil Aviation Suresh Prabhu and Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu on 4 December 2018. The 35,000m² (376,700 ft²) steel and glass structure is being developed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) at an estimated cost of ₹ 611 crores (US$86 million). The new terminal is being designed for peak daily handling of 1,200 (600 domestic and 400 international) passengers, with 24 check-in counters, five conveyor belts, 14 immigration counters, three customs counters, and eight gates and six aerobridges, which can accommodate large widebody aircraft, such as the Boeing 777 and Boeing 747. The new terminal's parking facilities will accommodate an additional 1,250 automobiles.[25][26]

As of July 2024, 48.5% work on the new terminal has been completed and it is expected to be completed by June 2025.[27]

## Airlines and destinations

[edit]

### Passenger

[edit]

Airlines| Destinations

|

Air India|  Delhi, Mumbai
Air India Express[28]|  Bangalore (begins 1 September 2024), Hyderabad, Sharjah
Alliance Air|  Bangalore
IndiGo|  Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi (begins 14 September 2024),[29] Hyderabad, Kadapa, Mumbai, Shirdi, Tirupati, Visakhapatnam

## Statistics

[edit]

Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.

|

Annual passenger traffic at VGA airport. See 1949). FILTER (?year < YEAR(NOW())) } } AS %airport WHERE { { # Get the sum of monthly values within a year SELECT ?item ?year (SUM(?max_numberperperiod) AS ?number) (SAMPLE(?monthly_reference_URL) AS ?monthly_reference_URL2) WHERE { # Get the maximal value and a sample reference URL for each unique month { SELECT ?item ?year (MAX(?numberperperiod) AS ?max_numberperperiod) (SAMPLE(?reference_URL) AS ?monthly_reference_URL) WHERE { INCLUDE %airport ?timevalue wikibase:timePrecision ?precmonth. FILTER (?precmonth =10)# precision = month } GROUP BY ?item ?year ?date } } GROUP BY ?item ?year } UNION { ?timevalue wikibase:timePrecision ?precyear. FILTER (?precyear =9)# precision = year BIND (?numberperperiod AS ?number) BIND (?reference_URL AS ?sample_reference_URL) INCLUDE %airport } OPTIONAL {?item wdt:P1813 ?this. # has shortname FILTER(LANG(?this)="en") } SERVICE wikibase:label { bd:serviceParam wikibase:language "[AUTO_LANGUAGE],en,en". ?item rdfs:label ?itemLabel.} BIND(COALESCE(?this,?itemLabel) as ?shortname) } GROUP BY ?item ?shortname ?year ORDER BY ?item DESC (?year)">Wikidata query.

Annual domestic passenger traffic and aircraft movements at Vijayawada Airport  Year  | Domestic Passenger traffic  | Domestic Aircraft movement

|
|

Passengers  | Percent
change  | Aircraft
movements  | Percent
change
2023–24  | 1,025,734[30] | +10.3% | 14,934[31] | +4.4%
2022–23  | 929,765[32] | +60.6% | 14,300[33] | +61.9%
2021–22  | 579,111[34] | +33.2% | 8,833[35] | +28.7%
2020–21  | 434,737[36] | −61.4% | 6,863[37] | −54.8%
2019–20  | 1,125,551[38] | −4.5% | 15,190[39] | −19.9%
2018–19  | 1,178,559[40] | +57.9% | 18,957[41] | +58.0%
2017–18  | 746,392[42] | +19.9% | 11,999[43] | +16.1%
2016–17  | 622,354[44] | +56.1% | 10,333[45] | +54.8%
2015–16  | 398,643[46] | +71.9% | 6,676[47] | +43.9%
2014–15  | 231,931[46] | NA  | 4,639[47] | NA

## Accidents and incidents

[edit]

* On 28 August 1980, Vickers Viscount VT-DJC of Huns Air was damaged beyond economic repair when the nosewheel collapsed after the aircraft bounced three times on landing.[48]
* On 20 February 2021, an Air India Express aircraft was involved in ground incident, the aircraft wing impacted a floodlight pole while taxiing. No injuries were reported.[49][50]

## See also

[edit]

* Bhogapuram Airport
* Visakhapatnam Airport
* Tirupati Airport

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Annexure III – Passenger Data" (PDF). aai.aero. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
2. ^ "Annexure II – Aircraft Movement Data" (PDF). aai.aero. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
3. ^ "Annexure IV – Freight Movement Data" (PDF). aai.aero. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
4. ^ "Vijayawada Airport". Airports Authority of India. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
5. ^ "Vijayawada Airport - Tender" (PDF). Airports Authority of India. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
6. ^ "Vijayawada airport flies high". The Hindu. 29 July 2020. Archived from the original on 17 October 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2020. "We are ensuring smooth operations though we have only one team each for customs, immigration, medical and airport staff."
7. ^ Sarma, Ch. R. S. (12 January 2017). "Gannavaram airport named after Amaravati". The Hindu Business Line. Archived from the original on 5 April 2021. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
8. ^ "PM to inaugurate new terminal building at Vijayawada airport on January 12". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 16 January 2017. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
9. ^ "List of Airports" (PDF). Airports Authority of India. 4 December 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 February 2021. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
10. ^ Dangwal, Sandhya (4 May 2017). "Vijayawada Airport upgraded as international airport; to improve connectivity, cargo movement". India.com. Archived from the original on 21 December 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
11. ^ "Cabinet grants international status to Vijayawada airport". Hindustan Times. PTI. 3 May 2017. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
12. ^ "One more flight for Vijayawada". The Hindu. 23 November 2005. Archived from the original on 18 September 2014. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
13. ^ "Another pvt airliner to operate from Gannavaram". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 26 January 2013. Retrieved 14 March 2011.
14. ^ "Foundation stone of Vijayawada airport's new terminal laid". The Economic Times. PTI. 19 October 2015. Archived from the original on 13 August 2018. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
15. ^ "Naidu opens new transit terminal at Vijayawada airport". Deccan Chronicle. 12 January 2017. Archived from the original on 5 October 2019. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
16. ^ "Old airport terminal readying for international operations". The Hindu. 24 June 2017. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
17. ^ "Cabinet approves Vijayawada Airport as International Airport". Press Information Bureau. 3 May 2017. Archived from the original on 5 October 2019. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
18. ^ "Vijayawada airport gets international status, first flight takes off to Singapore". The News Minute. 5 December 2019. Archived from the original on 2 April 2019. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
19. ^ "With First Flight To Singapore, Vijayawada Enters Global Aviation Map". NDTV.com. Archived from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
20. ^ "Vijayawada to Singapore IndiGo flights from Dec 4". @businessline. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
21. ^ "Vijayawada-Singapore directflight service dropped". The Hindu. 2 July 2019. Archived from the original on 7 November 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
22. ^ "Vijayawada airport now has 16 Parking Bays". The Hindu. 23 March 2016. Archived from the original on 23 March 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
23. ^ "Vijayawada airport now ready for wide-body aircraft operations". The Economic Times. PTI. 12 February 2019. Archived from the original on 3 March 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
24. ^ "New airport terminal to be opened on Jan 12". The Hindu. 12 January 2017. Archived from the original on 20 September 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
25. ^ Murthy, Sistla Dakshina (17 May 2022). "New terminal works at VJA airport at brisk pace, inauguration by year-end". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
26. ^ "Vijayawada AirPort to get integrated terminal building". Business Standard India. ANI. 5 December 2018. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
27. ^ "Vijayawada airport likely to get new terminal building by June 2025, says Civil Aviation Minister". Financial Express. 26 July 2024. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
28. ^ "Our Network". Air India Express. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
29. ^ "Vijayawada Airport: Good news for Vijayawada residents..IndiGo to operate daily flight services to Delhi from now on". Zee Telugu News (in Telugu). 15 August 2024. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
30. ^ "Traffic News for the month of March 2024: Annexure-III" (PDF).
31. ^ "Traffic News for the month of March 2024: Annexure-II" (PDF).
32. ^ "Traffic News for the month of March 2023: Annexure-III" (PDF).
33. ^ "Traffic News for the month of March 2023: Annexure-II" (PDF).
34. ^ "Traffic News for the month of March 2022: Annexure-III" (PDF).
35. ^ "Traffic News for the month of March 2022: Annexure-II" (PDF).
36. ^ "Traffic News for the month of March 2021: Annexure-III" (PDF).
37. ^ "Traffic News for the month of March 2021: Annexure-II" (PDF).
38. ^ "Traffic News for the month of March 2020: Annexure-III" (PDF).
39. ^ "Traffic News for the month of March 2020: Annexure-II" (PDF).
40. ^ "Traffic News for the month of March 2019: Annexure-III" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 December 2023.
41. ^ "Traffic News for the month of March 2019: Annexure-II" (PDF).
42. ^ "Traffic News for the month of March 2018: Annexure-III" (PDF). Airports Authority of India. p. 2\. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 February 2017. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
43. ^ "Traffic News for the month of March 2018: Annexure-II" (PDF). Airports Authority of India. p. 2. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
44. ^ "Traffic News for the month of March 2017: Annexure-III" (PDF). Airports Authority of India. p. 2\. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 April 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
45. ^ "Traffic News for the month of March 2017: Annexure-II" (PDF). Airports Authority of India. p. 2\. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 April 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
46. ^ a b "Traffic News for the month of March 2016: Annexure-III" (PDF). Airports Authority of India. p. 2\. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 May 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
47. ^ a b "Traffic News for the month of March 2016: Annexure-II" (PDF). Airports Authority of India. p. 2\. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 March 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
48. ^ "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
49. ^ "Air India Express Plane Hits Lighting Pole Landing at VGA | Airways Magazine". Airwaysmag.com. 22 February 2021. Archived from the original on 12 May 2021. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
50. ^ "Air India Express flight hits electric pole on landing at Vijayawada airport; all passengers safe". 20 February 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2023.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vijayawada Airport.

* Vijayawada Airport at Airports Authority of India website.

Portals:

* India
* Aviation

* v
* t
* e

Airports in India

International

| Western India|

* Ahmedabad
* Aurangabad†
* Indore†
* Mumbai
* Nagpur
* Nashik
* Pune†
* Rajkot
* Shirdi
* Surat†
* Vadodara†

|

Eastern India|

* Bhubaneswar
* Gaya†
* Guwahati
* Imphal
* Kolkata
* Patna†
* Siliguri†

Northern India|

* Amritsar
* Ayodhya
* Chandigarh†
* Delhi
* Jaipur
* Kushinagar
* Lucknow
* Srinagar
* Varanasi

Southern India|

* Bangalore
* Chennai
* Coimbatore
* Goa-Dabolim
* Goa-Mopa
* Hyderabad
* Kannur
* Kochi
* Kozhikode
* Madurai†
* Mangalore
* Port Blair
* Thiruvananthapuram
* Tiruchirappalli
* Tirupati
* Vijayawada
* Visakhapatnam†

* ^† Designated as customs airport by AAI; a limited number of international flights are permitted at some of these airports

Domestic/private

| Central India|

| Chhattisgarh|

* Bhilai
* Bilaspur
* Jagdalpur
* Jashpur
* Korba
* Raigharh
* Raipur

|

Madhya Pradesh|

* Bhopal
* Gwalior
* Jabalpur
* Khajuraho
* Panna
* Satna

Eastern India|

| Bihar|

* Darbhanga
* Munger
* Muzaffarpur
* Purnea
* Raxaul

|

Jharkhand|

* Bokaro
* Chakulia
* Deoghar
* Dhanbad
* Dumka
* Jamshedpur
* Ranchi

Odisha|

* Angul
* Balangir
* Barbil
* Bargarh
* Berhampur
* Baripada
* Bhawanipatna
* Dhenkanal
* Jajpur
* Jeypore
* Jharsuguda
* Kendujhar
* Lanjigarh
* Nuapada
* Phulbani
* Rairangpur
* Rayagada
* Rourkela
* Sambalpur
* Therubali

West Bengal|

* Asansol
* Balurghat
* Behala
* Cooch Behar
* Durgapur
* Malda
* Purulia

Northeastern India|

| Arunachal Pradesh|

* Along
* Daporijo
* Itanagar
* Pasighat
* Tezu
* Ziro

|

Assam|

* Dhubri
* Dibrugarh
* Jorhat
* North Lakhimpur
* Silchar
* Tezpur

Meghalaya|

* Shillong
* Tura

Mizoram|

* Aizawl

Nagaland|

* Dimapur

Sikkim|

* Gangtok

Tripura|

* Agartala
* Kamalpur
* Khowai

Northern India|

| Haryana|

* Bhiwani
* Hisar
* Karnal
* Narnaul
* Pinjore

|

Himachal Pradesh|

* Kangra
* Kullu–Manali
* Shimla

Jammu and Kashmir|

* Jammu
* Kishtwar
* Poonch
* Rajouri

Ladakh|

* Kargil
* Leh

Punjab|

* Bathinda
* Ludhiana
* Pathankot

Rajasthan|

* Bikaner
* Ganganagar
* Jaisalmer
* Jhalawar
* Jodhpur
* Kishangarh
* Kota
* Udaipur

Uttarakhand|

* Chinyalisaur
* Dehradun
* Pantnagar
* Pithoragarh

Uttar Pradesh|

* Agra
* Aligarh
* Azamgarh
* Bareilly
* Chitrakoot
* Ghaziabad
* Gorakhpur
* Kanpur
* Prayagraj
* Shravasti

Southern India|

| Andhra Pradesh|

* Kadapa
* Kurnool
* Nagarjuna Sagar
* Puttaparthi
* Rajahmundry

|

Karnataka|

* Belgaum
* Bidar
* Kalaburagi
* Hubli
* Mysore
* Shivamogga
* Toranagallu

Lakshadweep|

* Agatti

Puducherry|

* Pondicherry

Tamil Nadu|

* Salem
* Tuticorin
* Vellore

Western India|

| Daman and Diu|

* Daman
* Diu

|

Gujarat|

* Bhavnagar
* Bhuj
* Deesa
* Jamnagar
* Kandla
* Keshod
* Mehsana
* Mundra
* Porbandar

Maharashtra|

* Aamby Valley
* Akola
* Baramati
* Chandrapur
* Dhule
* Hadapsar
* Jalgaon
* Karad
* Kolhapur
* Latur
* Mumbai Juhu
* Nanded
* Osmanabad
* Ratnagiri
* Sindhudurg
* Solapur
* Yavatmal

Proposed

| International|

| East|

* Jamshedpur
* Puri

|

North|

* Ludhiana
* Mandi
* Noida

South|

* Bhogapuram
* Kottayam
* Parandur
* Thiruvambady

West|

* Dholera
* Navi Mumbai
* Purandar, Pune

Domestic|

| South|

* Bellary (new)
* Bijapur
* Hassan
* Karaikal
* Karwar
* Kothagudem
* Nellore
* Nizamabad
* Ramagundam
* Warangal

|

East|

* Dhamra
* Kailashahar
* Kohima
* Purnea
* Vuakmual

West|

* Ankleshwar
* Chandrapur
* Kota greenfield

North|

* Ghazipur
* Chaukhutia
* Gauchar
* Kishtwar
* Moradabad
* Meerut
* Muirpur (Sonbhadra)
* Palia
* Raebareli
* Saharanpur

Central|

* Ambikapur
* Datia
* Lalitpur
* Rewa

Military

| Indian Air Force|

| Western Air Command|

* Adampur AFS
* Ambala AFS
* Amritsar AFS
* Awantipur AFS
* Bathinda AFS
* Chandigarh AFS
* Halwara AFS
* Hindan AFS
* Leh AFS
* Palam AFS
* Pathankot AFS
* Sarsawa AFS
* Siachen Glacier AFS
* Sirsa AFS
* Srinagar AFS
* Udhampur AFS

|

Eastern Air Command|

* Agartala AFS
* Bagdogra AFS
* Barapani AFS
* Barrackpore AFS
* Chabua AFS
* Charbatia AFS
* Dum Dum AFS
* Hasimara AFS
* Jorhat AFS
* Kalaikunda AFS
* Kumbhigram AFS
* Mohanbari AFS
* Mountain Shadow AFS
* Panagarh AFS
* Purnea AFS
* Tawang AFS
* Tezpur AFS

Central Air Command|

* Agra AFS
* Bakshi Ka Talab AFS
* Bamrauli AFS
* Bangarmau AFS
* Bareilly AFS
* Bihta AFS
* Chakeri AFS
* Darbhanga AFS
* Gorakhpur AFS
* Maharajpur AFS

Southern Air Command|

* Coimbatore AFS
* Madurai AFS
* Tambaram AFS
* Thanjavur AFS

South Western Air Command|

* Bhuj AFS
* Jaisalmer AFS
* Jamnagar AFS
* Jodhpur AFS
* Lohegaon AFS
* Makarpura AFS
* Nal-Bikaner AFS
* Naliya AFS
* Phalodi AFS
* Suratgarh AFS
* Uttarlai AFS

Training Command|

* Begumpet AFS
* Bidar AFS
* Dundigal AFS
* Hakimpet AFS
* Yelahanka AFS

Maintenance Command|

* Nagpur AFS
* Ojhar AFS

Indian Navy|

| Eastern Naval Command|

* Arakkonam INS Rajali
* Uchipuli INS Parundu
* Visakapatnam INS Dega

|

Western Naval Command|

* Dabolim INS Hansa
* Mumbai INS Shikra

Southern Naval Command|

* Kochi INS Garuda

Indian Army|

* Nasik
* Jhansi

Indian Coast Guard|

* Daman

Joint|

| Andaman and Nicobar Command|

* Campbell Bay INS Baaz
* Car Nicobar AFS
* Diglipur INS Kohassa
* NDA Gliderdrome (Training)
* Port Blair INS Utkrosh

|

State-wise list of airports

* Andaman and Nicobar Islands
* Andhra Pradesh
* Arunachal Pradesh
* Assam
* Bihar
* Chandigarh
* Chhattisgarh
* Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu
* Delhi
* Goa
* Gujarat
* Haryana
* Himachal Pradesh
* Jammu and Kashmir
* Jharkhand
* Karnataka
* Kerala
* Ladakh
* Lakshadweep
* Madhya Pradesh
* Maharashtra
* Manipur
* Meghalaya
* Mizoram
* Nagaland
* Odisha
* Puducherry
* Punjab
* Rajasthan
* Sikkim
* Tamil Nadu
* Telangana
* Tripura
* Uttarakhand
* Uttar Pradesh
* West Bengal

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template