PATNA:The eagerly awaited new terminal building at Jayaprakash Narayan International Airport in Patna is on track to be completed by mid-2024, according to airport sources. Initiated in October 2018 with an estimated expenditure of Rs 1,216 crore, the project faced setbacks due to the Covid pandemic, delays in land acquisition, and other unavoidable factors, causing it to miss the initial deadline of 2022.
K.S. Vijayan, General Manager (Engineering), Projects, AAI-Patna,* stated that approximately 71% of the civil work has been accomplished. The 65,155sqm world-class terminal, drawing inspiration from the square forms of Nalanda University ruins, is designed to handle 3,000 passengers during peak hours.
The ground floor, dedicated to arrivals, features a central green area adorned with Madhubani paintings. The first floor, connected by a flyover, houses the departure area. The four-star GRIHA-rated energy-efficient building incorporates sustainability features.
Equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, the terminal boasts five passenger boarding bridges, five conveyor belts, 54 check-in counters, and eight inline XBIS machines for baggage inspection. Speedy check-ins are facilitated by the presence of 54 check-in counters.
Vijayan mentioned that the new terminal will accommodate 10 million passengers annually, a substantial increase from the current building’s capacity of 2.5 million. Following the new terminal’s commissioning, the existing structure will make way for aerobridges and aprons, allowing parking for 11 flights simultaneously.
Simultaneously, upgrades to airside facilities are underway, with completed re-carpeting of the runway and construction of the isolation bay. The remaining work includes the link road connecting the isolation bay, expected to be completed before March next year.
