Tuticorin Airport

Tuticorin Airport
Tuticorin Airport
	IATA: TCR; ICAO: VOTK;
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	Ministry of Civil Aviation
Operator	Airports Authority of India
Serves	Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, Tenkasi and Kanniyakumari
Location	Vagaikulam, Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, India
Opened	30 April 1992; 32 years ago
Time zone	Indian Standard Time (+5:30)
Elevation AMSL	39 m / 129 ft
Coordinates	08°43′27″N 078°01′33″E / 8.72417°N 78.02583°E
Website	Tuticorin Airport
Map
	TCR Location of airport in Tamil Nadu TCR TCR (India)
Runways
Statistics (April 2023 - March 2024)
Passengers
Passengers	199,761 ( 1.4%)
Aircraft movements	3,020 ( 6.6%)
Cargo tonnage	5 ( 150%)
	Source: AAI

Tuticorin Airport (IATA: TCR, ICAO: VOTK) is a domestic airport serving Thoothukudi and its adjoining districts of Thoothukkudi, Tirunelveli, Tenkasi, and Kanniyakumari in Tamil Nadu.^[4] It is located at Vagaikulam, 15.6 km (9.7 mi) west of the city centre, on National Highway 7A. 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 airports.

Structure

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.^[7]
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.

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 (ATC) tower, and constructing a new terminal building at a total cost of 381 crore. It will be operational by December 2024. The new terminal building will cover an area of 17,341 square metres, with 4 entry gates and be able to handle 1440 passengers during peak hours with 21 check in counters, 7 baggage scanner, 644 SHA seating capacity and 3 aerobridges. A technical block, a fire station, an isolation bay, aprons, and five aircraft parking bays for handling Airbus A320 type aircraft are also part of the project.^[8]

Airlines and destinations

Airlines	Destinations
IndiGo	Bengaluru, Chennai

Statistics

Annual passenger traffic at TCR airport. See Wikidata query.

Naming the airport

After the death of the former President of India, A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, there have been requests to name the airport "Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam International Airport" after the approval of international status by the Union Cabinet.^{[citation needed]}
Local People Requests Freedom Fighter "Chekkiluththa Chemmal" V O Chidambaram Pillai as 'V O Chidambaram Pillai or V O Chidambaranar Airport'

References

^ "Annexure III – Passenger Data" (PDF). aai.aero. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
^ "Annexure II – Aircraft Movement Data" (PDF). aai.aero. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
^ "Annexure IV – Freight Movement Data" (PDF). aai.aero. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
^ "Demand to modernise Tuticorin airport". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 24 May 2013.
^ "Airport website". Retrieved 26 October 2011.
^ Sudhakar, P. (25 July 2020). "Expansion of Thoothukudi airport runway begins". The Hindu. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
^ "Runway Extension Ii Tuticorin Airport V Airports Authority of India". YouTube. 4 July 2022.
^ "Tuticorin Airport Being Upgraded For Rs 381 Crore: Airports Authority Of India". www.bloombergquint.com. 18 September 2020. Retrieved 18 September 2020.

External links

Official site at the Airports Authority of India

[1] "Annexure III – Passenger Data" (PDF). aai.aero. Retrieved 22 April 2024.

[2] "Annexure II – Aircraft Movement Data" (PDF). aai.aero. Retrieved 22 April 2024.

[3] "Annexure IV – Freight Movement Data" (PDF). aai.aero. Retrieved 22 April 2024.

[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] "Runway Extension Ii Tuticorin Airport V Airports Authority of India". YouTube. 4 July 2022.

[8] "Tuticorin Airport Being Upgraded For Rs 381 Crore: Airports Authority Of India". www.bloombergquint.com. 18 September 2020. Retrieved 18 September 2020.

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