Union Civil Aviation Minister to seek cabinet approval for making Bhubaneswar an international airport
Bhubaneswar, Bringing International Connectivity, Jharsuguda March 9th. 2012, 2:56pmFollowing is from the PIB report at http://pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=80759.
Odisha Chief Minister calls on Civil Aviation Minister
Civil Aviation Ministry to process the proposal for upgradation of Bhubaneswar Airport to International Airport
New Domestic Terminal Building to be ready by August
The Union Civil Aviation Minister Ch. Ajit Singh has said that the proposal of Odisha Government for the upgradation of Biju Patnayak Domestic Airport Bhubaneswar to International Airport will be processed by his Ministry for seeking the Cabinet approval.Ch. Ajit Singh said this today in a meeting with Odisha Chief Minister, Shri Navin Patnayak in New Delhi.
Ch. Ajit Singh has agreed to consider the proposal of upgradation of Bhubaneswar Airport and seek the Cabinet approval for the same in keeping with the State’s Tourism potential including famous Buddhist sites and monuments. Odisha is also rich in biodiversity, natural resources and mines which strengthens the claim of Bhubaneswar Airport to be upgraded as International Airport.
The new Domestic Terminal Building at Biju Patnayak Airport Bhubaneswar which is likely to be completed by August 2012, will cater to 800 passengers against the capacity of 500 of the present terminal building. The new terminal building will be completed at the cost of Rs 145.54 Crores and will include extension of Apron for additional one ‘D’ type and two ‘C’ type bay.
The Civil Aviation Minister, among other things, also discussed the issues relating to construction of main approach road from Sachivalaya Main Road to Airport, land acquisition of 22 acres for extension of basic strip upto 300 mtrs., land acquisition of 141 acres for extension of runway from 9000 ft to 10,500 ft., and the proposal for development and operationalisation of Jharsuguda Airport in phased manner, initially for ATR 72-500 type of aircraft operations and subsequently for AB0321.
The above PIB report is probably based on the Civil Aviation ministry’s release. The Odisha government’s release is in the news report http://orissadiary.com/CurrentNews.asp?id=32449. Following is from that report.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today met the Union Minister for Civil Aviation, Ajit Singh, in New Delhi. Hon’ble Chief Minister, Odisha informed the Union Minister for Civil Aviation that Odisha does not have adequate air connectivity which acts as a major impediment to the industrialisation process and the growth of tourist traffic in the State.
He mentioned that the State does not have even a single International Airport and is managing with only one operational Domestic Airport at Bhubaneswar. The Chief Minister highlighted that the State has witnessed a significant spurt in investment in various industrial sectors and offers incredible tourist destinations including the World Heritage Monument, the Sun Temple Konark, the world famous Shri Jagannath Temple at Puri, many beautiful beaches and the largest Brackish water Lake, Chilka. He, accordingly, stressed upon the urgent need to scale up infrastructural support to the Aviation Sector in the State, both from the equity standpoint and the development perspective.
The Chief Minister requested the Union Minister to declare Biju Patnaik Airport as an International Airport at the earliest and provide the required facilities including an International Terminal with 24X7 ATC operations, customs and immigration facilities and security, etc. He asserted that the Ministry of Civil Aviation may accord early clearance to those Airlines which are interested to operate International flights to and from Bhubaneswar.
He also requested the Union Minister for providing necessary infrastructural support to the Jharsuguda Airport for enabling Domestic Airlines to operate from there. Chief Minister stated that the Airport Authority of India may also have a closer look at the other existing Airports in Odisha and provide the required infrastructural support to make the feasible Airports operational for Domestic Airlines. This, he stated, would improve the air connectivity within the State.
The Chief Minister assured that the State will provide all necessary support to the Ministry of Civil Aviation/ Airport Authority of India in their task of upgrading Bhubaneswar Airport to an International Airport and in making other Domestic Airports in the State operational. Union Minister appreciated the concerns of Odisha and assured that his Ministry will immediately prepare a Note for seeking the approval of the Cabinet for upgrading Biju Patnaik Airport to an International Airport.
For Jharsuguda Airport, the Union Minister stated that the length of the Airstrip will be increased to the desired minimum to make it operational for domestic airlines, at the earliest. He also assured the Hon’ble Chief Minister that his Ministry will actively explore the possibility of connecting Bhubaneswar to the Middle East and South East Asian countries. The Union Minister added that the Union Civil Aviation Ministry and Union Tourism Ministry will work closely with the State Government to host an Aviation/ Tourism Conference in Bhubaneswar for promoting tourist traffic to the State and assured that every possible support will be made to project Odisha as a world class tourist destination.
Note that in December during the Invest Bhubaneswar symposium flydubai had categorically said that if they get a slot from India to fly to/from Bhubaneswar then they will fly Bhubaneswar – Dubai.
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March 10th, 2012 at 3:32 am
Good that the CM has raised these demands. With Vizag getting International tag with flights to Singapore and Gulf starting this month; genuine demands of Odisha couldn’t have been postponed. Only omission was that the demands would have looked more sharped and regionally balanced had he also demanded domestic airports at Berhampur and Rourkela in addition to Jharsuguda. Rourkela and Berhampur, cities with more than half-million population and large catchment areas to serve, apart from hosting two STPIs, can’t be ignored any further if the state wants to make a determined attempt of attracting private investment.
March 10th, 2012 at 9:28 pm
@Abhishek
If you are looking for major airports to develop at Berhampur and Rourkela, I doubt that could be possible. This will be because Rourkela would be about 1.5 to 2hrs from Jharsuguda airport, and Berhampur will be 2-3hours from Bhubaneswar airport.
A second major airport, so close to an existing one is not very economically feasible in my view.
Though in future, both those places should get basic air connectivity so that small 20-50 seater aircraft operations can start a few years down the line. But for the time being Jharsuguda airport should be the primary priority.
March 11th, 2012 at 3:14 am
Way to go Mr. Patnaik. You have good contacts in the power corridors of New Delhi, and it’s good to see that you are making good use of them for the development of the state.
If one looks at a map of the world Bhubaneswar is situated quite strategically and can be used to connect to many cities/countries in South East Asia (e.g – Bangkok, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh, Hong Kong). It’s quite exciting to see the possibilities this could open up.