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| Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad, takes-off |
| 22 March. 2008, Hyderabad |
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- Lufthansa becomes first commercial international aircraft to land
- The International Transport Association Code "HYD" transferred to RGIA
The new Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, developed by GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd, has gone operational on March 23, 2008 when it welcomed Lufthansa Airlines LH 752 from Frankfurt at 0025 IST. About 276 passengers, who flew by this aircraft, were accorded a ceremonial welcome.
The meeters & greeters area at the airport village wore a festive look. The live show by traditional Andhra Folk Artists (Pattu) provided a spectacular greeting for VIPs and other passengers.
The first commercial domestic flight to land was SpiceJet, which touched down on the tarmac at 0050 IST hours.
Mr. G M Rao, Group Chairman, GMR Group, who welcomed the passengers, said the company has delivered the world-class airport to the state of Andhra Pradesh in a record time. He added that the company would strive to make Hyderabad a aviation and cargo hub by connecting to more international destinations.
About GHIAL
GMR-HIAL is a joint venture company promoted by GMR Infrastructure Ltd., (63%); Malaysian Airports Holding Berhad (11%), Airports Authority of India (13%) and Government of Andhra Pradesh (13%), with a mandate to develop a world-class international grade airport spread over 5,500 acres in Shamshabad, about 25 kms from the main city of Hyderabad.
The airport is being designed to handle 12 million passengers per annum with a total project cost of Rs. 2478 crore in the first phase scheduled to be commissioned in March 2008.
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