Bhubaneswar: In a bid to resolve the hassles faced by passengers, two more aerobridges will be constructed at the Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) here, informed Airport Authority of India (AAI) chairman Guruprasad Mohapatra today.
The aerobridges will facilitate passengers to board flights directly from the terminal. Once the aerobridge project is completed, all the bus boarding services will be stopped at the airport. At present there are two aerobridges at the airport here.
Moreover, the technical survey work for the second airport near Bhubaneswar has already been completed.
Flight services from Jeypore and Utkela airstrips under the regional connectivity scheme will start from this year end, said Mohapatra after a high-level review meeting with the directors of several airports in the eastern India at Bhubaneswar.
Moreover, Rs 40 crore will be spent on the renovation of the old terminal at the BPIA and a link-building will be constructed at a cost of Rs 70 crore. The construction work of third terminal at the airport is underway.
The airport authorities are been facing challenges after the successful implementation of Ude Deshka Aam Naagrik (UDAN)scheme even though the air fares in India are much low than other countries.
"The bus boarding services will be stopped at the airport after the commissioning of two more aerobridges by the end of October this year. Only after the completion of necessary development works at Jeypore and Utkela airstrips by October or November end, the regional connectivity between Bhubaneswar and other areas can be established," Mohapatra added.
The review meeting was held in Bhubaneswar where directors of eight airports in eastern region, including Kolkata, Raipur and Gaya Airports were present.
All the passengers of the BPIA will be provided all sorts of facilities at the airport said Suresh Chandra Hota, the BPIA director.
"The airport will provide all modern day facilities to the passenger swhile focus will also be given on profitability. Several brain storming sessions were held on how the airport can become self-reliant," Hota added.