Bhubaneswar airport to be made international soon

New Delhi, Sep 20 (IANS) A new terminal at the Bhubaneswar airport is expected to be commissioned by December this year and the airport will be upgraded to international status soon, the civil aviation ministry said Thursday.

“Once the new building will be commissioned, the existing terminal building will be renovated for services which are necessary to make it suitable for international operations,” the ministry said in a statement.

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Thursday met union Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh here. And according to the ministry, the two leaders discussed issues concerning development of airports in the state, including upgradation of the Biju Patnaik Airport in Bhubaneswar to an international airport.

About the development and operationalisation of Jharsuguda airport in western Odisha, the chief minister was informed that the Airports Authority of India (AAI) is planning to develop the airport initially for ATR72-500 type of aircraft operations in the first phase.

The ministry said the state government has identified 191 acres and the formalities for handing over the land to the AAI is at the final stage.

The union government has identified airport development as a major thrust area in its bid to attract $1 trillion for infrastructure development.

IANS 2012-09-20 18:21:11