This story is from September 13, 2020

Flights from Darbhanga by first week of November: Minister

Commercial flights to Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru would begin operating at the Darbhanga airport from the first week of November, announced civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Saturday after reviewing the ongoing construction work which is in its final stage.
Flights from Darbhanga by first week of November: Minister
Hardeep Singh Puri inspects the passenger amenities at terminal building at Darbhanga airport
PATNA/DARBHANGA: Commercial flights to Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru would begin operating at the Darbhanga airport from the first week of November, announced civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Saturday after reviewing the ongoing construction work which is in its final stage.
“Flight operations will begin at the Darbhanga airport before Chhath Puja under the Regional Connectivity Scheme and bookings from September-end.
This will be a boon for 22 districts of north Bihar,” Puri told mediapersons at the Jayaprakash Narayan International Airport in Patna.
Expressing satisfaction over the pace of the ongoing construction work at the Darbhanga airport, the minister said, “The arrival and departure halls, check-in facility and conveyor belt have already been installed. The remaining work will be completed before October-end.”
Puri also inspected the re-carpeting work of the airstrip and the terminal approach road at Darbhanga. He pointed out that the Prime Minister’s vision of ‘Hawai chappal se hawai jahaz tak’ continued to transform lives.
Flight calibration by SpiceJet also took place while the Union minister was at the Darbhanga airport. Civil aviation secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola, Airports Authority of India chairman Arvind Singh and Darbhanga and Madhubani MPs Gopaljee Thakur and Ashok Kumar Yadav were also present on the occasion.
Darbhanga district magistrate Thiyagrajan SM informed Puri that chief minister Nitish Kumar, during his visit, had directed the officials concerned to get the height of the airport’s boundary walls increased due to security reasons. He had laid the foundation for the civil enclave at Darbhanga on December 24, 2018.

A prefabricated terminal building, which can accommodate 200 passengers, six check-in counters and two aprons are being constructed at the Darbhanga airport by utilizing funds to the tune of Rs 92 crore. A parking space for 30 vehicles has also been built near the building.
Darbhanga will be Bihar’s third airport operating commercial flights after Patna and Gaya.
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