New Hyderabad international airport registers growth in passenger and air traffic movements
29 Apr 2008
Joint venture company, GMR-HIAL, the operator of Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Shamshabad, has said that a month after inauguration it has successfully stabilized commercial operations at the airport.
According to the company, over the last one month, the new international airport has registered a 16 per cent growth in air traffic movements (ATMs) and a 13 per cent passenger growth over the corresponding period last year. This growth compares to operations at the old airport located at Begumpet.
It also says that the new airport is attracting the attention of many a global airline company and some have already expressed their intention to commence operations to the airport. Mid-East carrier, Gulf Air, has said it would launch operations to Hyderabad from 1 July 2008, while UK flag carrier, British Airways, would launch operations from October 2008.
GMR-GHIAL also said that fuel uptake, which was about 550 kilolitre (KL) per day at the Begumpet airport has doubled at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, reaching 1100 KL per day. This is due mainly to the reduction in service tax from 33 per cent to 4 per cent on Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) by the Government of Andhra Pradesh and also due to the Open Access Model.
Expressing happiness over the successful completion of one month of operations, A Viswanath, chief commercial officer, Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, expressed his gratitude towards all airlines, regulatory agencies such as the customs, immigration, CISF & AAI, as well as the people for extending their wholehearted support.
GMR-HIAL is a joint venture company promoted by GMR Infrastructure Ltd., (63%); Malaysian Airports Holding Berhad (11%), Airports Authority of India (13%) and Government of Andhra Pradesh (13%), with a mandate to develop a world-class international grade airport spread over 5,500 acres in Shamshabad, about 25 kms from the main city of Hyderabad.
The airport is being designed to handle 12 million passengers per annum with a total project cost of Rs2478 crore in the first phase which was completed as per schedule in March 2008.
