Ranchi, April 13: If the people want, the capital could have an international airport.

Civil aviation minister Shahnawaz Hussain said the Birsa Munda Airport, which handles only domestic flights will be given international status if there is a demand from the residents of Ranchi.

Hussain was speaking at the function to inaugurate additional amenities at the airport. External affairs minister Yashwant Sinha, who represents Hazaribagh in the Lok Sabha, was present. The civil aviation minister said Jharkhand was a new state and had ample scope for development. There is plenty of land available in the airport which can be utilised for handling international flights, he added.

Hussain did not spare an opportunity to take a potshot at his home state Bihar and the RJD government of Rabri Devi. “For expediting any work, the neighbouring government has to be pressured and threatened by stopping all flights coming into the state. This is not the case with Jharkhand and the chief minister here is very cooperative. There will be no problem in converting the airport into an international one,” Hussain said. The state government, however, threw the ball in the Centre’s court. “If the civil aviation ministry decides to convert the airport into an international one, we will provide the necessary infrastructure,” chief minister Arjun Munda said.

Foreign minister Sinha inaugurated the newly built canopy outside the main building of the airport. Work on building the visitors’ shed outside began last year. “The canopy is one of the best in the country and can be compared with other airports which handle domestic flights,” he said.

The airport has been spruced up at a cost of about Rs 6 crore. The canopy has been done up with decorated pillars on the side to support it. Hussain said a further Rs 15 crore will be pumped into the airport for development projects and on work related to expansion and construction of the existing building. The airport will have a central air conditioning unit with two new aerobridges. The bridges will be connected from the landing space to the airport. The bridges will also have ducts for airconditioning. This, Hussain explained, would ensure that a passenger is not exposed to the outside temperature once he is inside the building. The Birsa Munda Airport, which is equipped with night-landing facilities, has a capacity to handle 250 passengers at a time.

“The work in the airport has been very satisfactory and the building is beautiful. We hope to further beautify it in the next stage of development,” Hussain said.

He added that the civil aviation ministry is considering buying more aircraft and is awaiting the decision of the Central Committee for Disinvestment meeting on Tuesday. (April 15) to decide on the matter.