Tuticorin Airport

Tuticorin Airport (IATA: TCR, ICAO: VOTK) is a domestic airport located 16.9 km (10.5 mi) from Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, serving the districts of Thoothukkudi, Tirunelveli, Tenkasi, and Kanniyakumari[4] in southern Tamil Nadu. It is 15.6 km (9.7 mi) west of the city centre on Thoothukudi-Tirunelveli NH 7A. It was inaugurated by the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu J. Jayalalithaa on 30 April 1992 and the former Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Tourism of the Republic of India M. O. H. Farook presided with her. The airport was ISO 9001:2015 quality certified on 13 April 2018. It is the fifth busiest airport in Tamil Nadu after Chennai, Coimbatore, Tiruchirappalli, and Madurai.

Tuticorin Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerMinistry of Civil Aviation
OperatorAirports Authority of India
ServesThoothukudi, Tirunelveli, Tenkasi and Kanniyakumari
LocationAirport Road, Vagaikulam, Thoothukudi - 628103, Tamil Nadu, India
Opened30 April 1992 (1992-04-30)
Time zoneIndian Standard Time (+5:30)
Elevation AMSL39 m / 129 ft
Coordinates08°43′27″N 078°01′33″E
Websitewww.aai.aero/en/airports/tuticorin
Map
TCR is located in Tamil Nadu
TCR
TCR
Tuticorin Airport
TCR is located in India
TCR
TCR
TCR (India)
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
10/28 1,351 4,435 Asphalt
Statistics (April 2021 - March 2022)
Passengers movements1,35,363 (Increase 11.6%)
Aircraft movements2,272(Increase 10.2%)
Cargo tonnage1

Structure
Passengers boarding waiting aircraft at the runway of Tuticorin airport

The airport has one asphalt runway, oriented 10/28, 1,349 metres (4,426 ft) long, and 45 metres (148 ft) wide. The taxiway is 15 metres (49 ft) wide and 225 metres (738 ft) long. The airport has two parking bays. Stand 1 is to the east of the apron, and Stand 2 is to the west. Stand No. 1 for an ATR 72 or lesser type of ACFT, and stand No. 2 for a Bombardier Q400 or lesser type of ACFT. while its terminal building can handle 120 passengers during peak hours. Navigational aids at Tuticorin airport include NDB TU, PAPI lights, and an aerodrome beacon. The DGCA has granted it a higher category license, moving it from VFR to IFR on 30 June 2020. Tuticorin Airport is capable of all-weather day and night operations at low visibility of less than 5 metres (16 ft). The air traffic control tower is located to the north of Apron and has Aerodrome Control (ADC), Surface Movement Control (SMC), and Approach Control (APP) units. The air traffic services unit is provided with meteorological information.[5]

Expansion

A master plan for upgrading the airport in phases had been prepared by the Ministry of Civil Aviation. Government of Tamil Nadu has handed over 600.97 acres of land free from encumbrance to the Airports Authority of India on 31 December 2018 for the expansion. An additional 110 acres of land have been set aside for the Indian Air Force and the Indian Coastguard. As part of the 96.77 crore expansion project initiated on 25 July 2020 the following activities are planned:[6]

  • Expansion of runway width from 30 to 45 m (98 to 148 ft) to handle Code-4C aircraft.
  • Expansion of the apron to accommodate five A321 aircraft measuring 191 m × 89 m (627 ft × 292 ft) in dimension.
  • New isolation bay for Code C aircraft and a 244.4 m × 30 m (802 ft × 98 ft) taxi link way.

Night landing facilities were established at the airport on 29 June 2020, and their first operation began on 3 July 2020 at 7 p.m., via IndiGo Airlines.

In September 2020, the Airports Authority of India stated that it is initiating a project that includes widening the runway, constructing a new air traffic control tower, and constructing a new terminal building at a total cost of 381 crore. It will be operational by March 2023. The new terminal building will cover an area of 13,530 square metres and be able to handle 600 passengers during peak hours. A new ATC tower, a technical block, a fire station, an isolation bay, aprons, and five aircraft parking bays for A-320 type aircraft are also part of the project.[7]

Airlines and destinations
AirlinesDestinations
IndiGoBengaluru, Chennai

Naming the airport

References
  1. "Traffic News for the month of March 2018: Annexure-III" (PDF). Airports Authority of India. 1 May 2018. p. 3. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  2. "Traffic News for the month of March 2018: Annexure-II" (PDF). Airports Authority of India. 1 May 2018. p. 3. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  3. "Traffic News for the month of March 2018: Annexure-IV" (PDF). Airports Authority of India. 1 May 2018. p. 3. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  4. "Demand to modernise Tuticorin airport". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 24 May 2013.
  5. "Airport website". Retrieved 26 October 2011.
  6. Sudhakar, P. (25 July 2020). "Expansion of Thoothukudi airport runway begins". The Hindu. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  7. "Tuticorin Airport Being Upgraded For Rs 381 Crore: Airports Authority Of India". www.bloombergquint.com. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  8. "கல்விக் கட்டணம் அரசே கையாளும்; 24 மணி நேரமும் கடைகள் இயங்கும்: சமக தேர்தல் அறிக்கை வெளியீடு". இந்து தமிழ். 3 March 2021. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.