Rajahmundry Airport

Rajahmundry Airport రాజమండ్రి విమానాశ్రయము
IATA: RJA – ICAO: VORY RJA Location of airport in India
Summary
Airport type	Public
Operator	Airports Authority of India
Serves	Rajahmundry, East Godavari
Location	Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh, India
Elevation AMSL	151 ft / 46 m
Coordinates	17°06′37″N 081°49′06″E / 17.11028°N 81.81833°ECoordinates: 17°06′37″N 081°49′06″E / 17.11028°N 81.81833°E
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 05/23 5,738 1,749 Asphalt

Rajahmundry Airport (IATA: RJA, ICAO: VORY) is located at Madhurapudi, 18 kilometres (11 mi) north of Rajahmundry in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. Besides commercial flights to Chennai and Hyderabad, the air strip is extensively used by helicopters of the ONGC for its offshore oil exploration operations and other government agencies.^[1]

History

The airport was constructed during the British era and is spread over an area of 366 acres (148 ha). It was served by Vayudoot between 1985 and 1994 and by VIF Airways in 1995.^[2] The Andhra Pradesh government signed an MoU worth ₹23 crore (US$3.4 million) with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) in February 2007 for modernising the airport.^[1] Works on the new terminal building to accommodate 150 passengers and a control tower were completed in 2011 at a cost of ₹38 crore (US$5.6 million). The terminal was inaugurated on 16 May 2012.^[3] The AAI's plans to extend the existing runway from 1,749 metres (5,738 ft) to 3,125 metres (10,253 ft) to enable landing of aircraft like the Airbus A320 have met with resistance from local land owners.^[4] Approximately, 700 acres (280 ha) would be needed for this expansion.^[3] Limited by runway length, airlines operate smaller 70 seat turbo-prop aircraft like the ATR-72 (Jet Airways)and the Q-400 (SpiceJet) into Rajahmundry.

Airlines and destinations

Airlines	Destinations
Jet Airways	Chennai, Hyderabad
SpiceJet	Hyderabad
TruJet	Hyderabad, Chennai

References

1. "Night landing facility soon at Rajahmundry". The Hindu. 29 May 2008. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
2. "VIF Airways Profile". India Infoline. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
3. "Rajahmundry airport terminal becomes operational". The Hindu Business Line. 17 May 2012. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
4. "Airport expansion: Ryots oppose land acquisition before assurance on rehab". Times of India. 10 February 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2012.