Bagdogra Airport
Bagdogra International Airport বাগডোগরা বিমানবন্দর Bāgaḍōgarā Bimānabandara | |||||||||||
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 Airside of Bagdogra Airport | |||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Military/Public | ||||||||||
| Owner | Indian Air Force | ||||||||||
| Operator | Airports Authority of India | ||||||||||
| Serves | Siliguri, Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling, North Bengal, Sikkim | ||||||||||
| Location | Bagdogra, Darjeeling district, West Bengal, India | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 412 ft / 126 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 26°40′52″N 088°19′43″E / 26.68111°N 88.32861°E | ||||||||||
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  IXB  IXB | |||||||||||
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| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Statistics (2014-15) | |||||||||||
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Bagdogra Airport, (IATA: IXB, ICAO: VEBD) is an international airport located in about 16 km (9.9 mi) west of the cities of Siliguri, 52 km (32 mi) away from Jalpaiguri and 65 km (40 mi) away from Darjeeling, the cities which the airport mainly serves, at Bagdogra in Darjeeling district in northern West Bengal, India.[2] It is operated as a civil enclave at AFS Bagdogra of the Indian Air Force. It is also the gateway airport to the hill stations of Kurseong and Kalimpong and other portions of the North Bengal region in the Indian state of West Bengal, and sees thousands of tourists annually. The airport is a major stop in the region with flights connecting Kolkata, Chennai, New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Guwahati and has international linkage connecting with Paro, Kathmandu and Bangkok. The airport also has regular helicopter flights to Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim. The central government of India conferred customs airport status to the airport in 2002 with limited international operations.[3][4] Air traffic at Bagdogra crossed 1 million for the first time growing at 43.6% percent in 2014-15. This is one of the few airports in India with zero sales tax on aviation turbine fuel.[5]
Air Force Station
The airbase is home to the IAF No. 20 Wing, as also to the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 (Mig-21) FL fighter aircraft of the No. 8 Squadron and a Helicopter Unit. Along with the airbase at Hasimara, Jalpaiguri district; it is responsible for combat air operations over a large area including North Bengal, Sikkim, and if needed, Bhutan. The base caters to all military air traffic for the Indian Army's XXXIII Corps based nearby in Sukna.
Expansion
The state government had handed over 14.5 acres (59,000 m2) of land to the Ministry of Civil Aviation for developing infrastructure for night landing in 2010. AAI also expanded the apron at the same time, enabling the parking of 5 Airbus A320 class aircraft simultaneously.[3] The IAF, which maintains the ATC and runway, gave permission for night landings by civilian aircraft allowing flights past 6 pm in 2013.[6]
Airlines and destinations
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| AirAsia India | Delhi (begins 19 February 2017) [7] |
| Air India | Delhi, Kolkata |
| Druk Air | Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, Thimphu/Paro |
| GoAir | Chennai, Delhi, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kolkata |
| IndiGo | Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Guwahati, Kolkata, Mumbai |
| Jet Airways | Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai (begins 26 March 2017) |
| SpiceJet | Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata |
| Vistara | Delhi, Guwahati |
References
- ^ "TRAFFIC STATISTICS - DOMESTIC & INTERNATIONAL PASSENGERS" (jsp). Aai.aero. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
- ^ http://www.aai.aero/allAirports/bagdogra_generalinfo.jsp
- ^ a b "Night-landing facility at Bagdogra soon". The Times of India. 16 January 2010. Retrieved 16 January 2010.
- ^ "International status to Bagdogra airport hailed". The Times of India. 2 October 2002. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
- ^ "Bagdogra backs CM flight path- Tax waiver fuels air traffic growth". The Telegraph (Calcutta). Retrieved 27 July 2015.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "IAF nod for Bagdogra night landing". The Telegraph. 2 July 2013. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
- ^ https://twitter.com/airasiain/status/821613863393259520
External links
- Civil Aerodrome Bagdogra (official Airports Authority of India web site)
- Bagdogra Airport - India Airport Global Website
