ON WINGS TO BANGALORE AFTER DGCA NOD
Four new flights are expected to start operating from the Jayaprakash Narayan International Airport beginning October 30.
The directorate-general of civil aviation (DGCA), the national civil aviation regulator, has approved IndiGo's proposal to operate three flights and GoAir's plan for one flight under their winter schedule.
This would include a direct flight from Patna to Bangalore for the first time.
In addition to the Bangalore flight, two flights would connect Patna to Calcutta and the fourth to New Delhi.
The total number of flights from Patna airport would increase from 20 to 24. (See graphic)
"We recently received a letter from DGCA approving operation of four new flights from Patna airport," said Santosh Kumar, assistant general manager (air traffic management) at Patna airport.
"IndiGo would operate a direct flight to Bangalore (Bangalore-Patna-Bangalore), departing Patna around 8.45pm. IndiGo and GoAir would operate one flight each on the Patna-Calcutta route in the afternoon, while a Delhi-bound IndiGo flight would arrive in the city around noon."
The number of flights from Patna has increased from 10 in 2010 to 20 now.
Experts attribute the rise in the number of flights from Patna to growth in passenger flow. Patna airport registered 32.4 per cent growth in passenger flow in 2015-16, compared to 14.5 per cent in the previous fiscal (2014-15).
Also, flight operation from Patna airport is expected to be smoother this winter, thanks to installation of Drishti - an indigenously-developed transmissometer - near the runway. Drishti, which gives real time information on visibility, started functioning at Patna airport in June. The equipment, installed by India Meteorological Department (IMD), covers a wide span of visibility conditions from 25 to 2,000m, a great help to pilots when landing and taking-off in poor visibility conditions.
BIHTA PLAN HICCUPS
The development of a civil enclave at Bihta airbase is facing initial hiccups. In its recent report, the Patna district administration said it required 125 acres of land at Kutlupur and Vishambharpur villages.
But some farmers are protesting against giving their plot for the purpose.
"A few farmers and their leader approached us when we were carrying out survey work to check status of land required to be acquired," said a senior official at the Bihta block office.
"They are demanding payment of compensation as per commercial (relatively higher) and not agricultural rate of land. They are also demanding employment for one member of each family whose plot is acquired. We will submit a report on the survey along with demands raised by farmers to the district administration for further action."
Chief minister Nitish Kumar has approved the proposal for extension of Patna airport terminal building for domestic operations, as well as development of civil enclave at Bihta for international flight operations.
Officials at Patna airport claimed talks are being held regularly with the state government on the proposed expansion of terminal building at Patna airport.
"A meeting was held two days ago with land reforms department officials with regard to exchange of land between the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and state government for expansion of the airport terminal building," said a senior official at the airport. "The state government is supposed to submit a detailed report including maps with regard to shifting of state hangar and Indian Oil Corporation depot near the airport terminal to pave the way for its expansion."
The terminal building at Jayaprakash Narayan International Airport would be developed into a swanky two-storied building equipped with aerobridges.
The state government is to provide around 13 acres of land around the airport to AAI for this. The AAI has already agreed in principle to hand over around 11 acres in Anisabad to the state government in return for 13 acres for expansion of the airport terminal building.
