Birsa Munda: Facelift plan awaits takeoff

Ranchi: Local officials at the Airport Authority of India candidly admitted that Birsa Munda Airport basic infrastructure is not up to the mark to handle a heavy flow of passengers.
MDLR Airlines, that is scheduled to start operations in the city soon, is estimated to add 150 passengers on a daily average, taking the tally up to 500.
Sample this: between 5.30 and 6.30 each evening, three flights — two of Air Deccan and one of Indian — leave the airport carrying about 205 passengers to various cities like Calcutta, Delhi, Patna and Bhubneshwar. Around 50-odd visitors come to see off these passengers.
“The departure wing of the terminal is absolutely packed with people in that one hour. Given the space crunch in that wing, passengers literally have to jostle for space as they undergo mandatory checks at various counters,” pointed out a senior functionary of an airline.
“The airport has about 140 seats — 50 in the waiting lounge and about 80 in the departure lounge. On many occasions passengers don’t get any seats because of inadequate arrangements,” claimed a source at the airport.
To add to their woes, the conveyor belt — that occupies over 300 sq feet of space — is placed right at the centre of the departure wing hampering easy movement.
Apparently irked by poor infrastructure facilities at the airport, the Federation of Jharkhand Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FJCCI) recently met with AAI officials demanding an immediate facelift.
19/04/07 Ranjan Dasgupta/The Telegraph

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Categories: Airports Apr 2007, New Apr 2007