Bhubaneswar: To augment the passengers handling capacity, a new terminal will be built adjacent to the old one at Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) in Bhubaneswar, Union Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu informed on Friday.
After a reviewing meeting, Naidu said that BPIA will get the permission for a new terminal within a month. “Bhubaneswar airport’s Terminal 1 is already being used by 50 lakh passengers against its capacity to handle around 40 lakh passengers per year. There is a need to augment its capacity to 80 lakh passengers per year. Permissions will be granted for the new terminal in one month after some security reorganisation,” he said.
The new terminal will be constructed in the next two years, he added.
The Union Minister further stated that a lot of small works like extension and other passenger amenities are already underway and it will be completed within a month. The existing ILS (Instrument Landing System) CAT I will also be upgraded to CAT II within a month, he said.
“I reviewed a lot of things with the Airports Authority of India and other officials. Bhubaneswar airport has registered massive growth and it connects with 20 cities in the country and internationally with 4 cities. There is double engine government now, both at the Centre and in Odisha. We are actively working to enhance Bhubaneswar’s infrastructure in the civil aviation sector,” he said.
The Ministry will look into the growing demand for connectivity from Bhubaneswar to Jammu, Surat, Jaipur and Vizag and appropriate steps will be taken at the earliest, he added.
