Tuticorin Airport

Tuticorin Airport is a domestic airport serving Thoothukudi and its adjoining districts of Thoothukkudi, Tirunelveli, Tenkasi, and Kanniyakumari in Tamil Nadu. It is located at Vagaikulam, 15.6 km 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, 1349 m long, and 45 m wide. The taxiway is 15 m wide and 225 m 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 m. 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.

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:


 * Expansion of runway width from 30 to 45 m to handle Code-4C aircraft.
 * Expansion of the apron to accommodate five A321 aircraft measuring 191 x in dimension.
 * New isolation bay for Code C aircraft and a 244.4 x 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.

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.
 * An Indian actor-turned politician and former member of parliament, R. Sarathkumar's All India Samathuva Makkal Katchi, made a request to name the airport after the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, K. Kamaraj, as "Perunthalaivar Kamarajar International Airport", after the approval of international status by the Union Cabinet.