{"id":11396,"date":"2018-09-10T16:40:07","date_gmt":"2018-09-10T11:10:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.airwhizz.com\/?p=11396"},"modified":"2018-09-10T16:40:07","modified_gmt":"2018-09-10T11:10:07","slug":"everything-need-know-hyderabad-airport","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.airwhizz.com\/index.php\/2018\/09\/10\/everything-need-know-hyderabad-airport\/","title":{"rendered":"Everything You Need To Know About Hyderabad Airport!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Since its initiation back in 2008, Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad has delivered world-class services making it one of the most sought-after airports in the world.<\/p>\n

With its technological prowess and magnanimous infrastructure, it has served and wooed weary air travellers who travel to the beautiful city in Telangana.<\/p>\n

Yet, many of us are unaware of the years of dedication and planning that has gone in making this modern marvel.<\/p>\n

So, let\u2019s take a look at this airport\u2019s journey and what it has achieved over the years.<\/p>\n

History<\/h4>\n

In the 1930\u2019s Hyderabad had its first airport known as the Begumpet Airport. It was used by the Nizam of Hyderabad for international and domestic travel and later was opened to commercial operations.<\/p>\n

With the rise in popularity of air travel in the late 1990\u2019s, Begumpet Airport was unable to handle the rising passenger traffic. The state government considered converting the Air Force Base in Hakimpet for civilian use, but the defence forces refused.<\/p>\n

However, the Ministry Of Defence suggested three locations south of the Begumpet Airport, which were Bongloor, Nadergul and Shamshabad.<\/p>\n

Due to its convenient location near two highways (NH 44\/NH 765) and a railway line, Shamshabad was selected in December 1998.<\/p>\n

In November 2000, the State Government and Airports Authority of India (AAI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) on the greenfield airport project, establishing it as a public-private partnership. The State and AAI together would hold a 26% stake in the project, while the remaining 74% would be allotted to private companies.<\/p>\n

Through the bidding process, GMR group and \u00a0Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) were chosen as the holders of the 74% stake. In December 2002, Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (HIAL), later renamed GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited (GHIAL), was created as a special purpose entity, into which the State, AAI and GMR\u2013MAHB placed their stakes.<\/p>\n

Construction of the new airport started on 16th<\/sup> March 2005 when Sonia Gandhi laid the foundation stone. Roughly three years after the foundation stone laying ceremony, the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGAI) was inaugurated on 14th<\/sup> \u00a0March 2008 amid protests.<\/p>\n

The \u2018Telugu Desam Party\u2019 wanted to change the name of the airport. In addition, on 12th<\/sup> and 13th<\/sup> \u00a0March, 20,000 AAI employees had conducted a strike against the closure of Begumpet Airport, as well as that of HAL Airport in Bangalore<\/a>, fearing they would lose their jobs.<\/p>\n

RGIA was originally scheduled to open for commercial operations on 16th<\/sup> \u00a0March 2008, however, the date was delayed due to protests from some airlines over the high ground handling rates at the airport. Once the rates were reduced, operations commenced on 23rd<\/sup> \u00a0March 2008.<\/p>\n

Awards & Recognition<\/h4>\n

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  1. It won the \u2018CNBC Infrastructure Excellence Award\u2019 for Airports in 2009.<\/li>\n
  2. In 2009, it also bagged the Center for Asia Pacific Aviation\u2019s (CAPA) award in the category, \u201cBest Airport Environmental Performance of the Year\u201d.<\/li>\n
  3. Since 2010, RGIA has been in the Top 3 Rankings of Airports Council International\u2019s (ACI), Airport Service Quality(ASQ) awards in the 5 to 15 Million Passengers Per Annum(MMPA) category. It has bagged the number 1 spot 4 times.<\/li>\n
  4. RGIA was awarded the prestigious National Tourism Award in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 under the \u2018Best Airport\u2019 category.<\/li>\n
  5. In 2011, GHIAL was awarded a \u2018Certificate of Merit\u2019 in the General Category Sector at the National Energy Conservation Awards, in recognition of the initiatives taken by them to conserve energy<\/li>\n
  6. RGIA has been honoured with the \u2018Best Cargo Airport & Best Cargo Terminal of the Year\u2019 in 2012 & 2013, by the Air Cargo Agents Association of India (ACAAI).<\/li>\n
  7. In 2013, RGAI had been judged as the \u2018Best Emerging Airport\u2019 in Indian Sub-Continent at the \u2018Emerging Airports Awards\u2019.<\/li>\n
  8. RGIA was given the title of \u2018Favourite Indian Airport\u2019 at the Cond\u00e9 Nast Traveller India Awards.<\/li>\n
  9. GHIAL received the \u201cQuality Excellence Award for Best Customer Service Result\u201d at the National Quality Excellence Awards in 2013.<\/li>\n
  10. RGAI received the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) Award for \u201cExcellent Energy Efficient Unit\u201d in 2014 and 2018.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Interesting Facts About Hyderabad Airport<\/h4>\n

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