Looks like the Rajkot International Airport will not be operating internationally anytime soon! It has been reported that the Airport Authority of India (AAI) has decided that the fairly new airport in Rajkot will handle only domestic flights for now. Also, since no airline has shown interest in operating internationally from this airport, the authorities decided to keep its operations restricted to domestic routes for now.
No International Flights To Operate From The Rajkot Airport
The Rajkot International Airport at Hirasar will only handle domestic flights for now. According to a report in Times of India, international flights were expected to start from this new airport once the work on the permanent terminal building was completed. However, AAI has concluded that the permanent building will not be able to accommodate international operations. This is because it will not be able to have the set-up needed for customs, immigration, airline offices, and passenger facilities.
Initially, it was planned that the new terminal and building would handle both domestic and international flights. The Rajkot Airport would have been divided into two parts to facilitate domestic and international passenger movement, reported Times of India. However, the AAI has decided that a new terminal will be required exclusively for international operations. For now, the under-construction terminal will handle domestic flights and is expected to be completed by August 15.
No Airline Show Interest To Operate From The Airport
The Times of India report further revealed that no airline has shown interest in starting international operations from the Rajkot Airport as yet. This could be another reason that AAI has decided to stick to domestic flights at this airport for now. However, the officials at the airport have not lost hope and are planning to make another terminal at the airport to facilitate international flight movements in the future.
The Rajkot Airport director, Diganta Borah spoke to Times of India regarding their plans to make a new terminal for international flights. According to him, a proposal to construct an international terminal is in the planning stage.
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