Dec date for capital airport’s new tower

Bhubaneswar: The new 11-storey air traffic control (ATC) tower at Biju Patnaik International Airport will be ready in December and it will start commissioning in January, authorities said.
Initially, both the old and new towers will run alternately. The new one will be made fully functional following the final nod of the Director General of Civil Aviation, airport director Prasanna Pradhan said.The move to set up the new tower was taken as the old one doesn’t offer a 360-degree view due to which technical staff can’t get a view of incoming and outgoing aircraft beyond a certain direction. The new tower is 44.2 meter high, 20.74 meter taller than the old one.
“The ATC here has witnessed a rise in air traffic volume. This airport serves as an ideal facility in case flights from neighbouring airports are required to be diverted owing to inclement weather. The new ATC will take care of all these requirements,” the director added.