Coimbatore International Airport

Coimbatore International Airport (IATA: CJB, ICAO: VOCB) is an international airport and the primary airport serving the Coimbatore Metropolitan Area in Tamil Nadu, India.^[5] It is located in the neighborhood of Peelamedu, about 10 km (6.2 mi) from the center of the city. It is the second busiest airport in Tamil Nadu by overall passengers handled after Chennai International Airport.^[2] The airport is served by three Indian and two international carriers providing direct connectivity to nine domestic and two international destinations.

Coimbatore International Airport
IATA: CJB ICAO: VOCB
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	Ministry of Civil Aviation
Operator	Airports Authority of India
Serves	Coimbatore Metropolitan Area
Location	Peelamedu, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
Time zone	IST (+5:30)
Elevation AMSL	400 m / 1,311[1] ft
Coordinates	11°01′36″N 077°02′30″E
Website	Coimbatore Airport
Map
CJB Show map of Coimbatore CJB Show map of Tamil Nadu CJB Show map of India
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 05/23 2,990 9,809 Asphalt
Statistics (April 2023 – March 2024)
Passengers 2,904,611 ( 13.6%) Aircraft movements 18,396 ( 4.3%) Cargo tonnage 8,922 ( 6.4%)
Source: AAI[2][3][4]

History

The airport was established in 1940.^[6] In 1948, Air India operated scheduled services on the Madras-Bangalore-Coimbatore-Cochin-Thiruvananthapuram route six times a week.^[7][8] Coimbatore flying club and aviation training academy was established in 1960.^[9][10][11] The airport then known as Pilamedu aerodrome underwent development and extension in the 1960s.^[12] In 1987, the airport underwent modernization and further expansion of the existing runway to enable handling of larger jet aircraft.^[6] In 1990, the airport was developed to enable night landing.^[13]

On 6 June 2012, Prime Minister of India declared the government's intention to upgrade the airport to international status and the Union Cabinet granted it the status of international airport on 2 October 2012.^[14][15]

Infrastructure

Front view of the airport

The airport has one runway, which was extended to 2,990 m (9,810 ft) from 2,590 m (8,500 ft) in 2008 to accommodate larger aircraft.^[16] In 2008, the airport was expanded at a cost of ₹780 million (US$9.3 million) with nine parking bays, aero bridges and Instrument Landing System (ILS).^[17][18] In 2010, new domestic and international divisions were added to the already existing common terminal. There are two hangars in the airport; one provides housing for the planes of Coimbatore Flying Club, the other provides shelter for private carriers. The airport has a parking management system with a capacity to accommodate nearly 300 cars.^[19]

In 2019, Airports Authority of India (AAI) proposed to construct a new domestic departure terminal building on the eastern side of the airport and a new integrated Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower and administrative building. The new terminal would be constructed in an area of 11,870 square feet (1,103 m²) with the total estimated cost of around ₹171.79 crore (US$21 million).^[20] The project also involves the addition of three aero bridges and additional parking lot to accommodate 100 cars. The construction of the new terminal building will increase the handling capacity to three million passengers per annum.^[21] Multiple tenders for the construction of the new terminal building and associated works have been released by AAI since 2020.^[22]

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Air India Airbus A321 at the airport

Airlines	Destinations
Air Arabia	Sharjah[23]
Air India[24]	Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai
IndiGo[25][26][27]	Abu Dhabi,[28] Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai,[29] Delhi, Goa–Mopa, Hyderabad,[29] Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune, Singapore (begins 27 October 2024)[30]
Scoot	Singapore[31]
Vistara[32]	Delhi,[29] Mumbai[29]

Cargo

Airlines	Destinations
Amazon Air	Bangalore[33]

Statistics

Busiest domestic routes from CJB (2022–23)^[34]

Rank	Airport	Carriers	Departing passengers
1	Chennai, Tamil Nadu	Air India, IndiGo, SpiceJet	391,409
2	Hyderabad, Telangana	IndiGo, SpiceJet	209,326
3	Mumbai, Maharashtra	Air India, IndiGo, Vistara	189,242
4	Delhi	Air India, IndiGo, Vistara	170,563
5	Bangalore, Karnataka	IndiGo, SpiceJet	154,357
6	Pune, Maharashtra	IndiGo	40,825
7	Ahmadabad, Gujarat	IndiGo	10,568
8	Surat, Gujarat	Spicejet	5,297
9	Jaipur, Rajasthan	IndiGo	4,694
10	Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh	IndiGo	4,134

Busiest international routes from CJB (2022–23)^[35]

Rank	Airport	Carriers	Departing passengers
1	Singapore	Scoot	54,504
2	Sharjah, United Arab Emirates	Air Arabia	40,958
3	Male, Maldives	Go Air	86

Connectivity

The airport is located on Avinashi Road about 10 km (6.2 mi) from the city center. Bus services into the city are available from the bus stop located on Avinashi Road, around 1 km (0.62 mi) from the airport.^[36] Frequent intercity bus services are available from Gandhipuram central bus station and also from other auxiliary bus stations at Singanallur and Ukkadam.^[37] The airport is 11 km (6.8 mi) from the major railway station, Coimbatore Junction and the nearest rail stations are at Peelamedu and Singanallur.^[38][39] Proposed Coimbatore Metro will connect the airport to the city.^[40] Cab services, call taxis and auto rickshaws provide 24 hours commuting services to the airport.

Incidents

• On 13 December 1950, a Douglas DC-3 (registered VT-CFK) of Air India carrying 17 passengers and four crew from Bombay to Coimbatore, crashed into high ground near Kotagiri due to a navigational error, killing all the passengers on board.^[41]

See also

• Sulur Air Force Station
• List of airports in India

References

1. "Coimbatore Airport". airportsindia.in. Archived from the original on 8 July 2015. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
2. Annexure III – Passenger Data (PDF) (Report). Airports Authority of India. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 June 2024. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
3. Annexure II – Aircraft Movement Data (PDF) (Report). Airports Authority of India. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 June 2024. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
4. Annexure IV – Freight Movement Data (PDF) (Report). Airports Authority of India. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 April 2024. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
5. "Coimbatore Airport". airportsindia.org. Archived from the original on 4 August 2015. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
6. In the matter of Determination of Aeronautical Tariffs in respect of Coimbatore Airport (PDF) (Report). Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India. 2019. p. 4. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
7. World Aviation Annual Report. Aviation Research Institute, Washington D.C. 1948. p. 512.
8. Jane's All the World's Aircraft. Vol. 42. Sampson Low, Marston & Company. 1951.
9. Parliamentary Debates:Official Report (Report). Vol. 207. Parliament of India. 2006. p. 80.
10. Indian Armed Forces Year Book. University of California. 1974. p. 414.
11. U.S. Army Area Handbook for India. Special Operations Research Office, United States Army. 1964. p. 646.
12. Aeroplane and Commercial Aviation News. Vol. 108. 1963. p. 9.
13. Airports International. IPC Transport Press. 1990. p. 6.
14. "Prime Minister holds infrastructure meet, but Mukul Roy is missing". NDTV. 6 June 2012. Retrieved 13 June 2012. Prime Minister said this year will see a series of new projects being commissioned, including international airports for Lucknow, Varanasi, Coimbatore, Trichy and Gaya
15. "Cabinet grants international airport status to five airports". The Economic Times. New Delhi. 4 October 2012. Archived from the original on 3 March 2018. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
16. "Extended runway ready at Coimbatore Airport". The Hindu. 20 April 2008. Archived from the original on 23 April 2008. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
17. "New aprons being built at Coimbatore airport". The Hindu. 21 November 2020. Archived from the original on 18 April 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
18. "Coimbatore airport to get a new look". The Hindu. 29 October 2007. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
19. "New parking system at Coimbatore Airport". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 1 April 2011. Archived from the original on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
20. "New building for domestic departure to come up at city airport". The Times of India. 8 June 2019. Archived from the original on 14 July 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
21. Pre-feasibility report for the expansion of Coimbatore Airport (Report). Airports Authority of India. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
22. "Airport Authority of India - Tenders". Airports Authority of India. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
23. "Technical glitch grounds Sharjah-bound Air Arabia flight at Coimbatore airport". The New Indian Express. 2 June 2024. Archived from the original on 3 June 2024. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
24. "Air India Flight Schedule". DGCA. Archived from the original on 11 May 2024. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
25. "Schedule". IndiGo. Archived from the original on 31 October 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
26. "IndiGo flights from CJB". Flightmapper. Archived from the original on 20 June 2024. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
27. "IndiGo departures from MAA". Flightradar24. Archived from the original on 3 January 2024. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
28. "IndiGo announces direct flights to Abu Dhabi from Mangaluru, Coimbatore and Tiruchirappalli". Travel Today. 17 July 2024. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
29. "Domestic flight services from Coimbatore witness slump following reduction of services to Chennai, Hyderabad". The Hindu. 12 January 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
30. "IndiGo to commence Coimbatore-Singapore service in Oct-2024". CAPA. Informa Markets. 5 August 2024.
31. "Singapore Airlines' budget carrier Scoot resumes Chennai flights, withdraws from Bengaluru & Hyderabad". Business Today. 2 November 2023. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
32. "Flight schedule". Vistara. Archived from the original on 27 March 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
33. "Amazon Air takes off in India". Amazon. 23 January 2023. Archived from the original on 18 February 2023. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
34. City pair wise passenger traffic statistics (Report). Directorate General of Civil Aviation. Archived from the original on 28 December 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
35. International passenger statistics (Report). Directorate General of Civil Aviation. Archived from the original on 28 December 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
36. "Town bus services, Coimbatore". Coimbatore Municipal Corporation. Archived from the original on 4 July 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
37. "TNSTC, Coimbatore" (PDF). TNSTC. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
38. "Indian Railways Passenger Reservation Enquiry". Availability in trains for Top 100 Booking Stations of Indian Railways. Indian Railways. Archived from the original on 10 May 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
39. "Railways in Coimbatore". RAC. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
40. "DPR for Coimbatore metro rail project to be submitted to Tamil Nadu government by July 15". The Hindu. 1 July 2023. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
41. "ASN Aircraft accident Douglas C-48C-DO (DC-3) VT-CFK". Aviation-safety.net. Archived from the original on 23 November 2015. Retrieved 13 September 2015.

External links

• Details of Coimbatore airport on AAI website

Media related to Coimbatore International Airport at Wikimedia Commons