Grounded: The Jai Prakash Narayan International Airport in Patna. Picture by Deepak Kumar

Steady rise in passenger flow

The Patna airport has recorded tremendous growth in the past two years. What are the reasons behind it?

Patna is a developing city. More and more people are travelling to the state capital for various activities. Also, the youths from Bihar are doing well in other cities in information technology and other sectors. They are earning well and are willing to travel by air instead of spending long hours on train. All this has led to a massive increase in the flow of passengers at the airport. According to the data available with the airport, passenger rush in 2008-2009 was around 3.4 lakh. This has increased to over 8.3 lakh in 2010-2011.

nWhat steps are being taken to sustain the growth of Patna airport?

Our endeavour is to maximise our potential and we are keen to address the issue of space constraint on a priority basis. We have been pursuing the space issue vigorously with the state government and are hopeful that a favourable decision would be taken soon.

Wings clipped on both sides

Why has Patna been declared one of the most critical airports in the country?

It has been done primarily because the runway is short, only 1,954m, with hardly any scope for expansion on either side. Then, there are obstructions like the height of the Secretariat Tower which further reduces the effective length of the runway. Also, tall trees inside the zoo and overhead cable and poles on the railway truck at the other end of runway act as obstructions at the time of landing and take-off.

What steps are being taken to ensure safe landing and take-off?

We hardly have any control over the obstructions limiting the length of the runway. Aviation safety is a teamwork. Each and every agency is expected to whole-heartedly contribute towards achieving the desired result.

Since there is not much scope for expansion of the existing runway, what is the status of identification of a site for developing another airport?

It is an issue between AAI headquarters (Rajiv Gandhi Bhavan, New Delhi) and the state administration. According to my information, our chairman (Airports Authority of India), along with his team, had taken the initiative and called on the chief minister of Bihar (Nitish Kumar) in August 2009. The state government is yet to give a final decision in this regard.

Anyhow, the existing airport is continuing to fulfil the requirements of operations of aircraft up to AB-320 size.

What facilities have been added to the Patna airport in the past two years?

We are focussing on taking small and effective measures at the airport. In the past few years, ATM counter and foreign money exchange counter have been made operational. Perimeter lighting facility has been installed. We have also obtained ISO 9001-2008 compliance certificate. Three modern fire/rescue vehicles have been imported from Austria for our fire section. All water coolers installed in the terminal building have been replaced with new aquaguard-fitted water coolers. Air-conditioning in the terminal building has been improved. Cyber café facility has been made functional. Number of visitors' chairs has been increased. First aid/ medical inspection room facility has been improved. Flooring in the terminal building has been replaced with vitrified tiles. Computerised ticketing facility for air/railway/roadway services have also been made available.

Beautification under way

What improvisations are under way at the airport?

Runway re-carpeting work is 90 per cent through and the remaining will be completed in another two months. Installation of closed-circuit television cameras on the premises is likely to be completed in another three months.

AAI headquarters has appointed Rites (an agency of ministry of railways) to study the feasibility to tunnelise (underground operation) the railway track towards Phulwari end of the runway. The organisation will submit its detailed report within three months and then necessary action will be taken.

Beautification of land patches and parks adjacent to approach roads to the airport is in progress. We are also planning to install a bronze bust of Loknayak Jai Prakash Narayan on the city side of the terminal building in this calendar year.

Limited means, total caution

The instrument landing system (ILS) at the airport was out of order for quite sometime. What went wrong with it?

The ILS had developed a snag because of increased vegetation near the approach funnel. Further, some grading activity was being carried out within the airfield premises for around a month. Now, the system has been restored.

I will like to add that during the period when the ILS-related work was in progress, not a single flight had to be diverted. Despite this, there were attempts by a section of the media to create undue panic. I feel the media should play its role in a manner that readers do not get scared. Negative news spreads much faster. I would like to emphasise that travelling by air is the safest mode of transport today.

What is the weather minima requirement applicable for aircraft operations at Patna?

In normal conditions, for an aircraft of AB-320 size, minimum visibility required at Patna is 1,600m, whereas in Lucknow or Ranchi it is only 1,200m. The requirement is more stringent at Patna because of the prevailing obstructions in the approach funnel.

How do you motivate your team?

I just highlight the need for all of us to treat passengers as very important persons. As long as passengers are moving through our terminal, we are required, or else we are not. Those, who are doing a good job, are encouraged. Let me also tell you, the passengers are well aware of our constraints.

Aviation safety primary objective

Would you like to send some message to our readers?

I would like to appeal to the citizens of Patna to help us by not creating any situation that would encourage bird concentration in the vicinity of the airport. This way they can contribute to aviation safety.

About Arvind Dubey…

Born on August 8, 1956, in New Delhi, Arvind Dubey has his roots in the Bhojpuri-speaking region of Bihar. He completed his graduation from Delhi University and was elected to the central council of the varsity's students’ union. Later, he pursued MBA in human resource.

He joined AAI more than 25 years ago and worked at Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai and Calcutta airports. He has undergone various trainings pertaining to aviation-related functions of London, Paris, Bangkok, Dubai and other international airports.

What would you have been if not a civil aviation personnel?

Although I never thought in this regard, I feel that I was destined to join the service industry.