BHUBANESWAR: Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) here witnessed over 40 lakh passenger traffic during 2018-19 fiscal. Passenger flow of about 4.5 million was recorded at the airport against 3.2 million during 2017-18.
Last month, BPIA had bagged the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Award-2018 for best airport by size and region in Asia Pacific. Airports Council International’s ASQ programme selected BPIA among the airports handling two to five million passengers per year.
Five other airports in Asia Pacific region were also selected for the award, but Bhubaneswar obtained maximum points and secured first position. “During 2018-19, BPIA handled 4.5 million passengers, including 91,000 international travellers,” said airport Director Suresh Chandra Hota. There are about 46 departures daily from the airport here.
Meanwhile, the authorities have adopted a slew of measures to further develop the overall infrastructure of the airport.
In a bid to make the airport attractive, water fountains are being constructed on the premises, including one in front of Terminal-1. The city airport is all set to get a new terminal and an estimated `900 crore will be spent for the project. The project management consultant has been appointed for the proposed new terminal and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) is expected to float tender within six to seven months.