Patna to get second civil airport on city's outskirts in Bihta
The already-existing Bihta Defence Airbase will be expanded to facilitate the operation of commercial flights. The Jai Prakash International airport in Patna has been termed "unsafe" and will be replaced by a new terminal.
In Short
- Budget of Rs 260 crore approved for acquisition of 126 acres of land near Bihta Defence Airbase.
- Bihar govt is likely to provide 126 acres of land for expansion of Bihta airbase.
- The existing Patna airport will be razed and a new terminal will be built by AAI.
In what is welcome news for the people of Patna, the Bihar capital is all set to get another civil airport apart from the existing Jai Prakash Narayan International airport in the heart of the city. The new airstrip is set to come up in Bihta, 35 kms from Patna.
According to the agreement reached between the Bihar government and the Union Civil Aviation Ministry, the already-existing Bihta Defence Airbase will be expanded to facilitate the operation of commercial flights.
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The state cabinet, on Tuesday, approved a budget of Rs 260 crore for the acquisition of 126 acres of land near the Bihta Defence Airbase for construction of the proposed new airport terminal building. The State govt is likely to provide 126 acres of land for expansion of the Bihta defence airbase free of cost to the Airport Authority of India.
108 ACRES FOR EXPANSION OF BIHTA AIRBASE
"The Bihar government will hand over 108 acres of land out of 126 acres acquired from the Airport Authority of India for the expansion of the Bihta airbase and on the remaining piece of land, a terminal and hotel will be constructed for passengers", informed Cabinet Secretary Brajesh Malhotra.
It is expected that after the existing airport in Patna is modernised and a new airbase comes up in Bihta, the number of fliers will rise to 15 lakh annually at each of these two airports.
Once the expansion of the Bihta airbase is complete, which is likely by October 2019, the same will be operational for both defence as well as commercial flights, as in seen in Gaya and Varanasi. According to the agreement, the existing Patna airport will also be razed and a new terminal will be built by the Airport Authority of India.
AAI TERMS EXISTING PATNA AIRPORT 'UNSAFE'
It may be noted that the Civil Aviation Ministry on several occasions has termed the Jai Prakash International airport in Patna "unsafe" for big jets and threatened to shut down operations there. The length of the runway is 2072 meters, 2300 meters less than the ideal requirement for the landing of Boeing 737 and Airbus A320s. This is why there was an urgent need to relocate the airport.