Airport Authority of India to introduce new international airport in Odisha

Considering the rising air traffic in the country, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has proposed a new greenfield international airport in the state of Odisha. Because of certain limitations in the expansion of the Biju Patnaik International Airport, building a new airport is considerable to handle the potential surge in air traffic in the future.

Therefore, the AAI has asked the state government to identify suitable land for the development of the new airport. The approximate land requirement for the new project is around 1,500-2,000 acres. The preferred location is in the vicinity of Bhubaneswar. The proposed airport to be established within 20-30 km of Bhubaneswar and could be set up on the public-private partnership (PPP) mode.

“After the state government identifies the land, we will do the technical feasibility study”, said an AAI official. The present airport has no scope for expanding the existing runway, stretching up to 2,742 meters. Wide-bodied planes are unable to land at the city airport. The new airport would be equipped to handle jumbo jets like Boeing 777 and Boeing 747,” said the official.

Acting on the proposal of the AAI, the state government has urged its land acquisition agency Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO) to intimate the availability of land. Meanwhile, the Odisha government has stepped up its efforts to locate a suitable site for the proposed project.

To attract foreign fliers, the state government had already reduced value-added tax (VAT) charge on aviation turbine fuel to zero for direct international flights from the state. However, despite the sop, the international airport has failed to attract operators, except Air Asia.

AirAsia, the low-cost airline has recently added Bhubaneswar to its list of destinations in India with four weekly direct flights from Kuala Lumpur.

You might also like

Trending

Oman Tourism launches global advertising campaign

Oman Tourism has announced the launch of its global advertising campaign for the upcoming season which will go live today on television and other digital platforms. The campaign captures the

Latest

Ferrari World Abu Dhabi Officially Opens its Latest Rollercoaster “Turbo Track”

The new rollercoaster promises riders a heart-pounding glimpse into the world of Ferrari test drivers. The highly-anticipated rollercoaster “Turbo Track” was officially launched at Ferrari World Abu Dhabi today. The

Aviation

AAI to study air traffic congestion

As air traffic at key Indian airports has begun to reach a saturation level, Airport Authority of India (AAI) that manages the aircraft movement in Indian airspace is in the