Agatti Aerodrome

Agatti Aerodrome
അകത്തി വിമാനത്താവളം

Aerial view of Agatti Aerodrome
IATA: AGX – ICAO: VOAT
Summary
Airport type Public
Operator Airports Authority of India
Serves Lakshadweep, India
Location Agatti Island
Elevation AMSL 14 ft / 4 m
Coordinates 10°49′41″N 72°10′44″E / 10.82806°N 72.17889°E / 10.82806; 72.17889Coordinates: 10°49′41″N 72°10′44″E / 10.82806°N 72.17889°E / 10.82806; 72.17889
Map
AGX

Location of AGX in India

Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
04/22 4,235 1,291 Asphalt

Agatti Aerodrome (IATA: AGX, ICAO: VOAT) is located on the southern end of Agatti Island, in the union territory of Lakshadweep in India. It is the sole airstrip in the archipelago, which lies off the west coast of India.

History

The airstrip was constructed during 1987−88 for operation of Dornier 228 type of aircraft and was inaugurated on 16 April 1988. Initially, the terminal was housed in a small temporary structure. Construction of Terminal Building, Air Traffic Control Tower and related structures commenced in 2006. However, the construction of the Terminal Building was stopped midway due to the proposed extension of Runway & Basic strip.[1] Air India Regional began services with ATR-42 aircraft on 24 September 2010 connecting Agatti with Kochi.[2] The resurfacing of the runway was completed in November 2010.[1]

Structure

Agatti airport is spread over 18.56 hectares (45.9 acres). It has one asphalt runway, oriented 04/22, 1204 metres long and 30 metres wide, while its terminal building can handle 50 passengers during peak hours. Navigational aids include a DME and NDB. It is operated by the Airports Authority of India (AAI).[3]

Expansion

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) received environmental clearance to extend the runway by constructing a 1,500-feet-long bridge on stilts over the sea. The extension is to be built at a cost of Rs 300 crore and will allow aircraft like the ATR-72 to be operated without any payload restrictions. The AAI originally planned to construct a bridge between Agatti and the neighbouring uninhabited Kalpati Island to make the runway long enough to handle an Airbus A-320 or Boeing 737.[4] However, this plan was rejected on environmental grounds as the bridge would have gone through a turtle colony and Kalpati island would need to be levelled to accommodate the extended runway.[5]

As per the revised master plan,[1] the following works will be undertaken

Airlines and destinations

AirlinesDestinations
Air India RegionalBangalore, Kochi

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Environment Impact Assessment Report". Union Territory of Lakshwadeep Official Website. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
  2. ↑ "How to reach Lakshwadeep". Official Website of Union Territory of Lakshwadeep. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  3. ↑ Agatti Aerodrome at Airports Authority of India
  4. ↑ "Environmental Clearance for extension of runway at Agatti" (PDF). Retrieved 12 March 2013.
  5. ↑ "Bridge on sea to extend Lakshadweep airport runway". The Times of India. Retrieved 12 March 2013.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 12/4/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.