Bhubaneswar: After the inauguration of Jharsuguda airport on September 22 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in present of odisha chief minister naveen patnaik and other dignitaries, three more airports are expected to be operational in Odisha by 2019, informed Airports Authority of India (AAI) member (planning) AK Pathak.
According to reports, the infrastructures of three airports are being developed in Jeypore, Rourkela, and Utkela with an investment of over Rs 100 crore.
The airport in Rourkela is likely to be functional by October-November this year, while the airports in Jeypore and Utkela are expected to start flight operation by March 2019, Pathak said.
The Jharsuguda airport has been built over an area of 909.22 acres at a cost of around Rs 175 crore of which Odisha government has contributed Rs 50 crore.
The airport has 1028 acre land, almost equivalent to Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) in Bhubaneswar. Airbus 320 and Boeing 737 can land at the Jharsuguda airport, he said.
Pathak also stated that as many as 30 new airports are being planned to be established across the country. Along with that, proposals for the establishment of around 31 helipads have been received by the AAI.
The helipads will be developed by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Pawan Hans Limited, Pathak added.
Prasanta Patnaik