Patna airport: Narendra Modi inaugurates new terminal

Patna: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the newly constructed terminal building of Jay Prakash Narayan International Airport in Patna.

He landed at the airport at 4:30pm on Thursday and proceeded directly to the new terminal for the inauguration ceremony. He was welcomed by Bihar governor Arif Mohammad Khan and chief minister Nitish Kumar, apart from the cabinet ministers of state and the central government.

Constructed for Rs14 billion, the new terminal spans 65,155 square meters and is equipped with modern facilities.

It features 54 check-in counters, five aerobridges, eight X-ray baggage scanners, five luggage conveyor belts, a multi-level parking facility, a VIP lounge, and a cafeteria.

With this new infrastructure, the airport’s daily passenger handling capacity is expected to rise to 4,500, while the annual capacity will increase to 10 million, up from the current 2.5 million.

The number of daily flights is also projected to more than double, from 34 to 75.

In addition to the inauguration, PM Modi will also lay the foundation of development projects worth over Rs485.2 billion in Karakat, including a new airport at Bihta, located approximately 35 kilometres from Patna.

The upcoming Bihta airport will be developed across 116 acres, with a terminal building covering 68,000 square meters. It will have the capacity to handle 3,000 passengers per hour and up to 5 million passengers annually.