BHUBANESWAR : THE annual passenger handling capacity of Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) is expected to double by March this year. Considered the 14th busiest airport in the country, its handling capacity currently stands at 4.1 million.
Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation, General Vijay Kumar Singh on Tuesday virtually inaugurated BPIA’s link building which will connect terminal-1 (domestic) and terminal-2 (international), from New Delhi. The link building is expected to increase the airport’s passenger handling capacity to 4.6 million annually.
BPIA officials said they are making reconfiguration and alterations to increase the airport’s handling capacity to 8.8 million annually by end of March this year.
“New facilities are being added and equipment procured for the terminal building to enhance the airport’s handling capacity to 8.8 million per year. There are five X-ray baggage scanners and four more will be added, the security hold area will be enhanced and departure gates will be increased to five from existing three,” said Prasanna Pradhan, BPIA director.
There are 22 check-in counters and 18 more will be set up to enhance the airport’s passenger handling capacity. The works are expected to complete without affecting the operations of the airport, he said. The link building, spread over 3,360 square metre, two rotundas (interface between the airport building and a movable bridge) and aerobridges in terminal-1 were constructed at a cost of Rs 87.21 crore. Construction work of the link building was delayed after its roof had collapsed in January, 2020 during which a labourer was killed.
“There are 12 immigration counters on the first floor and two conveyor belts on the ground floor of the link building. The new facility will be exclusively used for the arrival of international passengers,” Pradhan said.
BPIA is the only airport in its category (aircraft movement and passenger footfall) which has registered a 30 per cent growth in 2023-2024 as compared to the last financial year. In December last year, there was a record passenger footfall of more than 4 lakh.
Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi, who is also the airport’s advisory committee chairperson, Transport Minister Tukuni Sahu and department’s secretary Usha Padhee were present during inauguration of the link building.