Begumpet Airport

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Begumpet Airport
Airport, Terminal JP6932691.jpg
Summary
Airport typeMilitary/Public
Owner/Operator Airports Authority of India
Serves Hyderabad
Location Begumpet, Telangana, India
Opened1930s
Passenger services ceased23 March 2008 (2008-03-23)
Elevation  AMSL 532 m / 1,744 ft
Coordinates 17°27′11″N078°28′03″E / 17.45306°N 78.46750°E / 17.45306; 78.46750
Map
India Telangana location map.svg
Airplane silhouette.svg
BPM
India location map.svg
Airplane silhouette.svg
BPM
Runways
Direction LengthSurface
mft
09/273,23010,597Macadam

Begumpet Airport( IATA : BPM, ICAO : VOHY) is an airport that serves Hyderabad in Telangana, India. It is located in Begumpet and caters to general and military aviation. The airport is home to the Begumpet Air Force Station of the Indian Air Force. Begumpet was built by the Princely State of Hyderabad in the 1930s and served as the city's commercial airport for several decades. It eventually became overcrowded, and there was little room for expansion. Therefore, a new airport was erected in Shamshabad. Upon the opening of Rajiv Gandhi International Airport on 23 March 2008, Begumpet ceased all commercial operations.

Contents

History

Begumpet Airport was established on the outskirts of Hyderabad by Mir Osman Ali Khan, the last nizam of the Princely State of Hyderabad. [1] In 1934, the Hyderabad State Aero Club shifted to Begumpet from an airstrip in Habsiguda. [2] Princess Durr-e-Shehwar laid the foundation stone for a terminal building during the Nizam's silver jubilee festivities in 1937. [3] [4] During the Second World War, the Royal Air Force took control of the aero club and set up a flying school at Begumpet. [1] [4] In May 1946, Deccan Airways, which was based in Hyderabad, began operations. Its first flight was from Begumpet to Bangalore. [2] [5] The airline operated India's first Hajj flight from the airport five months later. [6] In May 1950, commercial airlines moved from the Hakimpet aerodrome to Begumpet. [7] Two new terminals were completed in 1972. [8]

In the 1990s, the government of Andhra Pradesh decided to build a new airport for Hyderabad. Officials ultimately chose a site in Shamshabad, 30 kilometres (19 mi) from the city. [9] Passenger counts were climbing quickly at Begumpet, and the terminals were inadequate. [10] There was a lack of room to expand the airport; the development of the surrounding areas meant that Begumpet was now in the middle of the city. [3] The growth of Hyderabad's information technology and pharmaceutical industries added more pressure to construct a new airport. [10] In 2004, the Indian government signed a concession agreement with the consortium building the Shamshabad airport that required commercial operations at Begumpet to cease when the new airport opened. [9] [11]

In February 2005, Lufthansa commenced a nonstop flight between Hyderabad and Frankfurt, and Air Sahara set up a hub at Begumpet. [12] [13] The Airports Authority of India responded to the rising traffic by adding another jet bridge and five parking stands. [14] Between April 2006 and March 2007, 5.8 million travellers passed through the airport, a 44% increase over the previous year. [15] The final passenger flight to take off from Begumpet was a Thai Airways International flight to Bangkok at 00:25 on 23 March 2008. Rajiv Gandhi International Airport opened the same day. [16] When scheduled service ended, Begumpet was the sixth busiest airport in India and was served by 10 Indian and 13 foreign airlines. [3]

Facilities and operations

The airport has one runway named 09/27. It measures 3,230 by 45 metres (10,597 ft × 148 ft) and is made of macadam. [17]

Begumpet is used for flight training and houses an air force station. Businesspeople, politicians, and others fly into the airport on their private aircraft. [18] [19] Begumpet also hosts Wings India, the country's first civilian air show. The biennial event is organised by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, and Airports Authority of India. It was first held in October 2008 under the name India Aviation. [20] [21]

During the period of commercial operations, Begumpet was officially called Hyderabad Airport and had two terminals. The domestic terminal was named for N. T. Rama Rao; the international one, for Rajiv Gandhi. [22]

Accidents and incidents

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References

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  2. 1 2 "Hyderabad, the city of wings as well". The New Indian Express. 15 March 2014. ProQuest   1507539480.
  3. 1 2 3 "Now kids play cricket at Hyderabad's old airport". Hindustan Times. Indo-Asian News Service. 28 March 2008. ProQuest   470318367.
  4. 1 2 Shahid, Sajjad (4 May 2014). "PM Reddy: An aviator and engineer par excellence". The Times of India. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  5. ↑ "Deccan Airways inaugurated". The Indian Express. 25 May 1946. p. 5. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  6. ↑ Akbar, Syed (26 July 2018). "1st Haj flight took off with just 18 pilgrims". The Times of India. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  7. ↑ "Begumpet Aerodrome opened to scheduled services". The Indian Express. 9 May 1950. p. 2. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  8. ↑ Srinivas, M. (7 March 2008). "Helping city soar to greater heights". The Hindu.
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  10. 1 2 P. V., Sivakumar (15 May 2006). "Promise of world-class experience". The Hindu BusinessLine.
  11. ↑ "Centre confirms closure of Hyd's old airport". Business Standard. 11 March 2008. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  12. ↑ "Lufthansa starts Hyderabad-Frankfurt service". Rediff. Press Trust of India. 18 February 2005. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  13. ↑ "Air Sahara's Hyderabad hub inaugurated". Hindustan Times. 5 February 2005. ProQuest   470586307.
  14. ↑ Srinivas, M. (30 June 2006). "Begumpet airport to get one more aero-bridge". The Hindu.
  15. ↑ "Annexure III: Traffic Statistics" (PDF). Airports Authority of India. March 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 January 2013. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  16. ↑ Srinivas, M. (23 March 2008). "Begumpet Airport slips into annals of history". The Hindu.
  17. ↑ "Aeronautical Information Publication for Begumpet". Airports Authority of India. 11 January 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  18. ↑ Srinivas, M. (5 January 2009). "Begumpet airport turns a boon for tycoons". The Hindu.
  19. ↑ "IAF Training Command chief visits Air Force Station". The Hindu. 26 November 2022. ProQuest   2740097609.
  20. ↑ Shafeeq, Mohammed (18 October 2008). "India Aviation show proves a big hit". The Hindustan Times. Indo-Asian News Service. ProQuest   471446306.
  21. ↑ "Major airlines, officials give Hyderabad's Wings India aero show a miss". Mint. 10 March 2018. ProQuest   2012330275.
  22. ↑ "Hyderabad Airport". Airports Authority of India. Archived from the original on 21 November 2007. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  23. ↑ "Accident Summary 1978". dgca.gov.in. Directorate General of Civil Aviation. Archived from the original on 13 May 2021. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
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