Bhubaneswar: The long wait is over for the flight passengers in Odisha as the new domestic terminal at Biju Patnaik Airport in Bhubaneswar will be inaugurated on March 5 with more facilities and services. It will be double profit for the city people when Bhubaneswar airport will get international status in the coming days.
All the facilities and services will be available at the new terminal, which has been constructed on 2 lakh sqft near the old and existing terminal at the airport. The flight operations will begin at the new terminal a week after the inauguration and all the equipments get transferred from the old terminal.
The terminal was likely to be inaugurated by the President of India or Prime Minister. However, a high level meeting decided that Union civil aviation minister Ajit Singh will open the new terminal on March 5.
The major works at the new building are over and it is ready for passengers with new look, more space and facilities which were not available at old building. The authority said that 9 flights can take off and land simultaneously on the airport indicating the airport will get international status soon.
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The new building has sufficient space for around 800 passengers; it has 18 check counters, 4 lift facilities, 2 escalators, 2 aero bridges, resting place for 600 passengers, 3 lounges for passengers and 2 lounges for VIPs. The terminal is equipped with the advanced systems. Like other airports in metros, it also has central AC, high ceiling roof of 5,000 sqft through which the sunlight can enter the terminal.
The terminal will boast of 100 kg watt solar power station and tanks for preservation of rainwater. The road to the airport will be different experience for the passengers as low-height plants (hedges) and long trees are being planted. The pavements will be of terracotta bricks. The entrance portion to the terminal will feature the art and culture of Odisha, its occasions and the pictures of national parks.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is trying his best to make it international airport from which flights will be flown to Dubai and Singapore. The domestic airport is expected to get international airlines lincence by April or before Rath Yatra. Already the airlines like fly Dubai, Silk Air, Thai Airways and IndiGo Airlines have given green signal to operate international flights after it gets international status.
After the Biju Patnaik domestic Airpot turns into international airport, the passengers to foreign countries will get more benefits as they will not have to book tickets via Delhi/Mumbai/Hyderabad.
Naveen’s great father and SON OF THE SOIL Sri Biju Patnaik was cherishing of a very wealthy, historic, heroic, prosperous and scenic ODISHA- so called KALINGA or UTKAL. He fulfilled the necessity by KALINGA AIR- later converted into an Airport by his name. Still he was dubbed in oblivion for turning it into an International one- which took shape in his son’s regime due to his whole-hearted efforts. Union Govt, like extension of services of existing train services, can think of a better innovative approach to extend all international flights from/to Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad to/from BHUBANESWAR TO FURTHER WIDEN THE SCOPE OF MORE TOURISM AND CULTURAL HERITAGE OF THE STATE,