The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Airbus 320 lands at Begumpet

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Sunday, Sep 14, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Airbus 320 lands at Begumpet

Staff Reporter

New Zealand Governor-General arrives on 7-day tour

-PHOTO: NAGARA GOPAL

Big deal: Airbus A-320 landing at Begumpet on Saturday.

HYDERABAD: The Begumpet airport buzzed with activity once again on Saturday. Not with commercial operations but with the landing of one of the biggest aircrafts in the world – the Airbus 320.

New Zealand Governor -General Anand Satyanand along with his wife Susan arrived at the airport in Airbus A-320 on a seven-day tour to India. The couple was accorded a ceremonial reception by the State government. It was a memorable moment for many to watch the Airbus 320 land on the 10,600 feet-long runway of the Begumpet airport and hear the rumble of the landing aircraft after months of lull. The commercial operations at Begumpet airport had folded up on March 22 midnight after the inauguration of Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Shamshabad.

Ever since, the airport catered to the needs of aviation academies, Indian Air Force and other airlines. As part of student pilot training, nearly 15 Cessna aircraft belonging to different aviation academies land and take off at the airport everyday. Apart from this, Indian Airlines flights land for conducting technical check-ups, said Begumpet airport director R.K. Singla.

“Last time, it was during the Indian Premier League cricket matches in May that an Airbus 320 aircraft landed at this airport,” informed Mr. Singla. It will also be the first airport in India to host the first international exhibition on civil aviation sector, ‘India Aviation 2008’ air show from October 15, he added.

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