Second airport in Odisha capital to be fast tracked: Civil Aviation Min

Sambad English Bureau Published On : May 30, 2018 at 9:56 PM Updated On : Jun 1, 2018 at 10:33 AM

Bhubaneswar: Good news! The Civil Aviation Ministry will fast track the set-up process for a second airport on the outskirts of Odisha capital to reduce traffic congestion at the existing Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA), the Ministry informed today.

The Civil Aviation Ministry tweeted:

Passenger with 1 kg gold inside his rectum caught at Bhubaneswar airport

International airport in Odisha’s Puri to be completed in 3 years; IDCO floats tender

Identification of a suitable land to build a second airport near Khurda on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar has been initiated. The set-up process will be fast-tracked. The new airport will reduce air traffic congestion while improving passenger convenience: HMCA @sureshpprabhu pic.twitter.com/99sIRJU2dT

— Ministry of Civil Aviation (@MoCA_GoI) May 30, 2018

According to the statistics released by Airport Authority of India (AAI), the BPIA registered 39.4% growth in air passenger traffic in 2017-18 fiscal as compared to previous years. A total 32,50,635 air passengers (both domestic and international) have flown from Bhubaneswar airport in 2017-18 while the number was 23,32,433 in 2016-17.

Earlier this month, Union Petroleum & Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had urged the Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu to set up a new airport on the outskirts of the capital city.

“The airport, which was started in 1962, is near saturation and faces severe space and runway related constraints. There is, thus, an urgent need to set up a new airport at Bhubaneswar given the tremendous growth potential of this Smart City,” Pradhan had written to Prabhu.