BHUBANESWAR: The second full-fledged airport of the State at Jharsuguda, a greenfield project, will be completed by May, 2018.
The airport, which will be developed with an investment of `210 crore, will have facility to handle at least 300 passengers per day, Airport Authority of India (AAI) Chairman Guru Prasad Mohapatra said.
Mohapatra, who was on his first visit to the State after taking over charge as the AAI Chairman, met Chief Secretary Aditya Padhi here on Tuesday and discussed issues relating to shifting of power line, providing a dedicated power line, water supply and road connectivity to the airport.
Besides, matters relating to deployment of security forces, fire personnel, forest clearance of balance land and construction of boundary wall were also taken up at the meeting.
The funds will be used on a new modular design passenger terminal, strengthening of the runway, taxiway, new technical block, control tower, fire station, staff quarters and state-of-the-art Communication Navigation Surveillance (CNS) installations. ''Jharsuguda has good potential for regional as well as intra-nation air connectivity. AAI would take all possible steps to develop it as a vibrant airport,'' Mohapatra added.
The AAI has also planned to develop an airport business district over 60 acre land near Bhubaneswar airport which would bring in investment of `20,000 crore to `25,000 to the City and generate employment opportunities for about 35,000 persons.
The Chief Secretary advised AAI to prepare specific proposal in consultation with Bhubaneswar Development Authority for the proposed project.In next two to three years, the AAI will invest `300 crore in Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA). The money will be used for extension of Apron and development of a parallel taxiway which will enable BPIA to handle additional flights in a day.
Currently, BPIA has the capacity to handle 10 flights in an hour. A state-of-the-art Air Traffic Control tower will also be developed in next two years at BPIA, Mohapatra said.
“With a boom in e-commerce and single window clearance facility at the airport, the cargo handling has increased by 70 per cent in the last six months. The Integrated Cargo Hub will facilitate better cargo handling in bulk which would also give a boost to revenue generation,'' he added.
The AAI Chairman inaugurated a CISF Barrack which has been built at a cost of `3 crore for accommodating 80 personnel at BPIA. He inspected various installations and reviewed developmental activities at the airport.