Bhubaneswar: Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu said Friday that the Centre will grant permission for the construction of a new terminal at Bhubaneswar airport within a month due to increasing footfall.
Speaking after a review meeting, Naidu said the new terminal at the Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) is expected to be completed within two years.
While the current capacity of Terminal-1 at Bhubaneswar airport is around 40 lakh passengers annually, it has been handling around 50 lakh passengers, he said.
“This underscores the urgent need to expand its capacity to accommodate up to 80 lakh passengers per year,” he said.
“Necessary permissions for the new terminal will be issued within a month, following some security protocols,” he noted.
Naidu also emphasised the significant growth of BPIA, which currently connects to 20 cities across India and four international destinations.
The Union minister also said that a lot of small works like extension and other passenger amenities are already underway and will be completed within a month. The existing ILS (Instrument Landing System) will also be upgraded within a month, he said.
The minister also said that the ministry will consider the demands of introducing air connectivity from Bhubaneswar to Jammu, Surat, Jaipur and Vizag.
Replying to a question on the proposed airport at Puri, the minister said the state government started the land acquisition process for the proposed international airport and the Centre has also given site clearance.
“We will extend all support to the Odisha government to ensure its timely completion of the proposed airport in Puri,” Naidu said.
PTI