domestic airport
A domestic airport is an airport that handles only flights within the same country. Domestic airports do not have customs and immigration facilities and so cannot handle flights to or from a foreign airport.
These airports often have short r ...
serving the twin cities of
Ajmer
Ajmer () is a city in the north-western States and union territories of India, Indian state of Rajasthan. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Ajmer district and Ajmer division. It lies at the centre of Rajasthan, earning it the ...
and Kishangarh. It is located at Kishangarh on National Highway 448, north-east of Ajmer. The airport was inaugurated on 11 October 2017. It is operated by the
Airports Authority of India
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is a statutory body under the ownership of the Ministry of Civil Aviation (India), Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India. It is responsible for creating, upgrading, maintaining, and managing civi ...
(AAI), covers an area of 742 acres and has a 2,000 metre long
runway
In aviation, a runway is an elongated, rectangular surface designed for the landing and takeoff of an aircraft. Runways may be a human-made surface (often asphalt concrete, asphalt, concrete, or a mixture of both) or a natural surface (sod, ...
. It is also famous for its interior Bani Thani painting. The airport facilitates transport to the pilgrim sites like the Dargah of Khwaja Garib Nawaz,
Pushkar
Pushkar is a temple town near Ajmer City and headquarters of Pushkar tehsil in the Ajmer district in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is situated about northwest of Ajmer and about southwest of Jaipur.Prithvi Raj Chauhan in Ajmer.
History
The original proposal for an airport at Kishangarh came following the former
Prime Minister of India
The prime minister of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen Union Council of Ministers, Council of Ministers, despite the president of ...
Ajmer
Ajmer () is a city in the north-western States and union territories of India, Indian state of Rajasthan. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Ajmer district and Ajmer division. It lies at the centre of Rajasthan, earning it the ...
. Initial government efforts to acquire land for the project at Sardana had to be abandoned before the current location was chosen by the district administration. The airport is the first of over 100 airports that were to be built in India by 2020. The foundation stone of the project was laid by the then Prime Minister of India,
Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh (26 September 1932 – 26 December 2024) was an Indian economist, bureaucrat, academician, and statesman, who served as the prime minister of India from 2004 to 2014. He was the fourth longest-serving prime minister after Jaw ...
in September 2013. The project was undertaken by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) at a cost of about ₹ 161 crores. 441 acres of land was handed over for the project in 2013. Demands for naming the airport after Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, Veer Teja Ji, Marble City and
Prithviraj Chauhan
Prithviraja III (IAST: Pṛthvī-rāja; 22 May 1166 – February 1192), popularly known as Prithviraj Chauhan or Rai Pithora, was a king from the Chahamanas of Shakambhari, Chauhan (Chahamana) dynasty who ruled the territory of Sapadalaksha, w ...
were made, but none of them were granted.
The airport was inaugurated on 11 October 2017 by the then Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Jayant Sinha and the then Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Vasundhara Raje.
Facilities
The 2,700 sq.m. passenger terminal building can handle 150 passengers during peak hours. Other features at the terminal include 6
check-in
Check-in is the process whereby people announce their arrival at an office, hotel, airport, hospital, port, seaport or event.
Office check-in
Many offices have a reception or front office area near the entrance to greet or assist visitors arriv ...
counters, one X-ray screening machine for baggage screening and an elevated baggage conveyor belt in the arrivals terminal. The airport has parking space for 125 cars. The terminal features three-dimensional murals made of marble, 'Bani Thani' portraits, the paintings of the Kishangarh school of paintings and fountains to give the project a local touch.
The airport has a 2,000 metre long
runway
In aviation, a runway is an elongated, rectangular surface designed for the landing and takeoff of an aircraft. Runways may be a human-made surface (often asphalt concrete, asphalt, concrete, or a mixture of both) or a natural surface (sod, ...
that allow daytime operation of smaller aircraft. The parking apron is able to simultaneously accommodate two ATR aircraft.
The
Government of India
The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...
will generate 100 megawatt power from solar energy to light up the airport. Considering the scarcity of water in the area, AAI has built a water harvesting system at the airport as also a modern sewage treatment plant for re-use of water.