Jammu Airport

Jammu Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic/Military
OwnerIndian Air Force[1]
OperatorAirports Authority of India
ServesJammu
LocationJammu, Jammu and Kashmir, India
Time zoneIndian Standard Time (+5:30)
Elevation AMSL314 m / 1,029 ft
Coordinates32°41′21″N 074°50′15″E / 32.68917°N 74.83750°E / 32.68917; 74.83750
WebsiteJammu Airport
Map
IXJ is located in Jammu and Kashmir
IXJ
IXJ
IXJ is located in India
IXJ
IXJ
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
18/36 2,438 8,000 Asphalt
Statistics (April 2024 - March 2025)
Passengers1,614,167 (Increase 10.8%)
Aircraft movements13,520 (Increase 19.1%)
Cargo tonnage1,054 (Increase 20.2%)
Source: AAI[2][3][4]

Jammu Airport, officially known as Jammu Civil Enclave (IATA: IXJ, ICAO: VIJU), is a domestic airport serving Jammu in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It operates as a civil enclave alongside the Jammu Air Force Station operated by the Indian Air Force. The airport is located 8 km (5.0 mi) from the city centre and is located close to the India–Pakistan border. There is a air force training school based at the airport.

History

The Jammu Air Force Station was established as the base of the No.1 Wing of the Indian Air Force on 10 March 1948. Though the detachment was soon moved to Srinagar, it was based out of Jammu during the winters till 1950.[5][6] Thereafter, a small detachment of the wing was maintained at the base. In 1963, the No.23 Wing was raised at the base.[6] The air force training school, based at the airport, was opened in 1971.[7] The airport is owned by the Indian Air Force, and the Airports Authority of India established a civilian enclave at the airport in 1985.[8] The airport underwent modernisation and expansion works in the late 2010s.[9] The airport was targeted by Pakistani drone attacks during the 2025 India–Pakistan conflict, and the civilian operations were suspended for a few days in May 2025.[10]

Location

The airport is located 8 km (5.0 mi) from the city centre, along Ranbir Singh Pora road.[11][12] It serves as a strategic base for the Indian Air Force as it is located close to the India–Pakistan border.[13]

Infrastructure

The airport has a single 2,042 m (6,699 ft) long asphalt runway, equipped with CAT I instrument landing system and Precision approach path indicator.[14][15] The runway was extended by 1,300 ft (400 m), and was equipped with a new approach light system, and flashing lights in 2021. With the upgradation of the runway, the airport became capable of handling night operations.[9]The airport apron can accommodate three narrow body aircraft.[15]

The 6,500 m2 (70,000 sq ft) domestic passenger terminal can handle 360 passengers simultaneously. It has 14 check-in counters and two boarding gates.[15] There are other stores, food stalls, a restaurant, a souvenir store and an information desk for pilgrims travelling to the Vaishno Devi temple in the terminal.[16] In September 2021, the aviation minister announced that a new terminal spread across 45,000 m2 (480,000 sq ft) would be built at a cost of ₹7 (7.4¢ US).[17] There is a car park with 80 spaces associated with the airport.[16]

Airlines and destinations

An aircraft at the airport
AirlinesDestinationsRefs.
Air IndiaDelhi, Leh, Mumbai, Srinagar [18]
Air India ExpressChennai, Delhi, Ghaziabad, Srinagar [19]
Alliance AirDelhi [20]
IndiGoAhmedabad,[21] Bengaluru,[22] Chandigarh,[23] Delhi, Hyderabad,[24] Indore, Kolkata,[25] Leh, Navi Mumbai, Srinagar
SpiceJetDelhi, Srinagar [26]

Incidents and accidents

  • On 9 January 2017, Air India 821, a Airbus A320-200, on a scheduled flight from Delhi, overshot the runway on landing, and came to a stop on soft ground, about 8 m (26 ft) from the edge of the runway. Four of the eight tyres of the main landing gear burst during the rollout and smoke emanated from the rear cabin. All 143 passengers were evacuated with no injuries. The investigation revealed that the incident was caused by the late touchdown and reduced deceleration rate due to improper application of the brakes.[27]
  • On 27 June 2021, there were twin blasts at the air force station, which took place within five minutes of each other. The first blast took place at 1:37 am IST, and damaged the roof of a building. The second blast took place on an empty lot outside the airport. The incident was suspected to be a terrorist attack, and injured two Indian Army personnel.[28]
  • On 10 April 2025, a IAI Heron drone of the Indian Army crash landed at the airport at 2:45 pm IST while returning from a reconnaissance mission. The incident occurred after loss of control of the aircraft while landing, and the aircraft crashed into a tower at the airport, injuring a Defence Security Corps personnel.[29]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Evaluation of Patna And Jammu Airport". Indian Ministry of Civil Aviation (Press release). 19 August 2010. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  2. ^ Annexure III – Passenger Data (PDF). Airports Authority of India (Report). Retrieved 30 April 2025.
  3. ^ Annexure II – Aircraft Movement Data (PDF). Airports Authority of India (Report). Retrieved 30 April 2025.
  4. ^ Annexure IV – Freight Movement Data (PDF). Airports Authority of India (Report). Retrieved 30 April 2025.
  5. ^ "No.1 Wing". Bharat Rakshak. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  6. ^ a b "No.23 Wing". Bharat Rakshak. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  7. ^ "Air Force School, Jammu". Indian Air Force. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  8. ^ Summary of environmental clearence (PDF). Government of India (Report). 19 May 2015. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  9. ^ a b "Authorities hope to operationalise flights from July end". Greater Kashmir. 10 July 2021. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
  10. ^ "Pakistan drone hits Jammu airport, S-400 defence system intercepts 8 missiles". India Today. 9 May 2025. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  11. ^ "Jammu: General information". Airports Authority of India. 5 September 2016. Archived from the original on 23 December 2016. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  12. ^ Lovell-Hoare, Sophie; Lovell-Hoare, Max (2014). Kashmir: Jammu, Kashmir Valley, Ladakh, Zanskar. Chalfont St Peter: Bradt Travel Guides. p. 230. ISBN 978-1-84162-396-2.
  13. ^ "Pakistan attempts hitting Jammu airport, city; 8 missiles intercepted, blackout initiated". Tribune. 8 May 2025. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  14. ^ "Jammu -- VIJU". DAFIF. October 2006. Retrieved 27 November 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  15. ^ a b c "Jammu: Technical information". Airports Authority of India. 25 June 2014. Archived from the original on 28 November 2016. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  16. ^ a b "Jammu: Passenger information". Airports Authority of India. 12 September 2016. Archived from the original on 28 November 2016. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  17. ^ "J&K govt to handover 122 acres of land to AAI to build new airport terminal at Jammu". The Hindu. 3 November 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  18. ^ "Air India Timetable". Air India. Retrieved 12 January 2020.
  19. ^ "Air India Flights from jammu and port blair". The Economic Times. Retrieved 28 November 2024.
  20. ^ "Alliance Air to commence Dehradun-Jammu service in Mar-2023". CAPA. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  21. ^ "IndiGo flight network from Jammu". FlightsFrom. Retrieved 29 May 2025.
  22. ^ "IndiGo flight network from Jammu". FlightsFrom. Retrieved 29 May 2025.
  23. ^ "IndiGo to commence Chandigarh-Jammu service in Apr-2024". CAPA. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  24. ^ "IndiGo Aug – Oct 2024 Domestic Network Additions". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  25. ^ "IndiGo announces 6 new domestic routes; check list here". Business Today. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  26. ^ "SpiceJet flight schedules". SpiceJet. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  27. ^ Hradecky, Simon. "Incident: India A320 at Jammu on Jun 9th 2017, overran runway on landing". The Aviation Herald. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  28. ^ Bhat, Sunil, Sandhu, Kamaljit (27 June 2021). "Twin explosions rock Air Force-operated area of Jammu airport– Highlights". India Today. Retrieved 25 April 2023.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  29. ^ Khajuria, Ravi Krishnan (11 April 2025). "Army's UAV crashes into IAF tower at Technical airport, Jammu, soldier critically injured". The Hindustan Times. Retrieved 11 April 2025.

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