Bhubaneswar: The Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) here would get a security boost with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) planning to upgrade the control tower and Category-IX fire station apart from having a technical block.
The upgradation work involving a cost of about Rs 34.18 crore is likely to be completed by April 2019.
“The height of the current control tower is 30 metres while the new tower would be of 44.2 metres which would enhance the surveillance capacity of the airport,” said BPIA director Suresh Chandra Hota.
The security upgradation will increase the efficiency and handling capacity of the airport apart from attracting more airlines and facilities for the airport.
Similarly, the airport is now having Category-VII fire station, but now it would be upgraded to Category-IX which would help in handling wide body aircraft.
“Category-IX will help us handle wide body aircraft. We need to upgrade the security features to facilitate expansion of the airport,” added Hota.
According to top AAI officials, this major security upgradation will help the airport get more flights.
“The airport is already getting a good response for international flight operation and the cargo movement is also encouraging. So, the upgradation of the facilities will attract more airlines and BPIA is ready for more operations too,” said a top AAI official.
The technical block will have the officials of air traffic control and modern navigational equipment.
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