Patna airport terminal building by March 2023: Minister

PATNA: Union civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Saturday said the new terminal building at Jayaprakash Narayan International Airport would be ready by March 2023 to meet rising traffic growth.
Reviewing the ongoing work at Patna airport, the minister said the upcoming terminal building would be equipped with 52 check-in counters, in-line baggage handling system, five conveyers for arriving passengers and five aerobridges.“It will be a four-star Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA)-rated and an energy-efficient building,” he said.
The minister expressed satisfaction with the ongoing work at Patna airport on the new terminal building and other allied structures, including multi-level car parking, air traffic control-cum-technical building and fire station.
He also inspected the extended and modified area of the existing terminal building on the eastern side of the airport. Puri paid floral tribute to the bust statue of Jaya Prakash Narayan on the airport premises and also visited Patna Sahib Gurdwara.
Patna airport director Bhupesh CH Negi briefed the minister about the ongoing work on new terminal building and the modification of the existing one. He said, “As an interim measure, the existing terminal building of Patna airport has been extended and modified to decongest and enhance passenger experience,” he said.
Meanwhile, Airports Authority India (AAI)-Patna officials said the minister has hinted at increasing the number of flights at Patna airport as about 60% pre-Covid domestic flights may resume operations by Diwali festival.