Jodhpur Airport

History

The Jodhpur Flying Club was set up by Maharaja Umaid Singh in the 1920s at a small airfield near his Chittar Palace (Umaid Bhavan Palace) in Jodhpur. Through the next three decades, the airfield grew in stature, being used as an airfield for the Royal Air Force (RAF) during World War II. The airfield was upgraded in 1950 after the formation of the Royal Indian Air Force (which later became the Indian Air Force). Jodhpur was home to the IAF's Air Force Flying College until the 1965 war.

Structure

The airport's 12-acre civil enclave contains a terminal building measuring a built-up area of 5,690 m2, which is capable of handling 430 passengers per hour. The terminal has seven check-in counters and three boarding gates. The adjoining concrete apron measures 140 by 100 metres and has three parking bays that can cater to two Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 type aircraft simultaneously.

The runway is 2,743 metres long and 45 metres wide. The airfield is equipped with night landing facilities and an Instrument Landing System (ILS) as well as navigational facilities like DVOR/DME and an NDB.

Jodhpur Air Force Station

Squadrons of HAL Dhruv, HAL Prachand, HAL Chetak, Mil Mi-17 and Sukhoi Su-30MKI aircraft are based here. It was active during the Kargil War of 1999. There is also a battalion of the Garud Commando Force here.

On 3 October 2022, IAF inducted HAL Prachand into 143 Helicopter Unit at Jodhpur Air Force Station.

Airlines and destinations

thumb|Interior of the airport |Air India| Delhi, Mumbai |Air India Express| Bengaluru, Delhi |IndiGo|Regular: Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune

Seasonal: Ahmedabad, Indore, Jaipur,}}

Statistics

References

References

1. "Annexure III – Passenger Data".
2. "Annexure II – Aircraft Movement Data".
3. "Annexure IV – Freight Movement Data".
4. (27 March 2017). "MoU inked to expand Jodhpur airport". [[The Times of India]].
5. "IAF barters land for expansion of Jodhpur airport | Jaipur News - Times of India".
6. (6 October 2023). "PM Modi lays foundation stone for new buildings in Udaipur, Jodhpur Airport". Business Standard.
7. (18 April 2025). "Jodhpur Airport Terminal to get new airport building on Diwali - Jodhpur Airport Terminal". ETV Bharat.
8. "The History of the Jodhpur Flying Club". CGPublishing.
9. (6 October 2011). "South Asia's Most Powerful Air Base at Jodhpur". Defence News.
10. "Side Show in the South-Western Sector". Bharat Rakshak.com.
11. "AAI website".
12. Peri, Dinakar. (2022-10-03). "IAF inducts indigenously-built Light Combat Helicopter". The Hindu.
13. (2022-10-03). "Made-in-India attack helicopters inducted; special moment: PM Modi".
14. "In Pics: Air force inducts India-made light combat helicopter Prachand in Jodhpur".
15. (2022-10-04). "From LCH Prachand to INS Vikrant, how 'Make in India' defence is transforming the nation".
16. "Air India Express Sep – Nov 2025 Bangalore Network Expansion".
17. (16 January 2023). "IndiGo announces new Jodhpur-Jaipur flight to boost domestic connectivity". Moneycontrol.