The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Begumpet airport to be used for VIP landings

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Sep 05, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Begumpet airport to be used for VIP landings

Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD: The Hyderabad International Airport at Begumpet will be used only for VIP landings and non-commercial aviation, including training, after the commercial operations move over to Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Shamshabad in March 2008.

The concession agreement between the Airports Authority of India and GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL), which is developing the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, suggests that there shall be no airport within the vicinity of 150-km radius of the new airport at Shamshabad.

In a talk delivered at Federation of Andhra Pradesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FAPCCI) here on Tuesday, Director of Hyderabad Airport (Begumpet), R. K. Singla said that there was a manifold growth in the patronage for domestic and international airlines in the last five years.

He said that 23,290 domestic aircraft and 4,088 international aircraft were operated from Hyderabad in 2002-03, while the number of domestic aircraft went up to 60,038 and international to 9,719 in 2006-07.

Mr. Sangli said that the airport handled 13.40 lakh domestic passengers and 4.20 lakh international passengers in 2002-03, while the number grew to 46.66 lakh domestic and 12.05 lakh international passengers in 2006-07.

While the airport had 435 staff working in all departments, 360 belonged to air traffic control and other critical operations. At least 70 to 80 per cent of the 360 would move to the new airport. The remaining staff would be adjusted in Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam and Tirupati airports.

The personnel and finance departments would still function from Begumpet taking care of the employees working at the Shamshabad airport.

To another query on whether the ceiling on the height of buildings in the areas surrounding the airport would be removed as the operations were being shifted out to Shamshabad, Mr. Singla said that the AAI would take a call on that depending on how the Begumpet airport would be used.

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