New Delhi: Moving to close commercial operations at Patna airport, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) plans to swap a customs airport in Gaya with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to develop an international airport at the IAF airbase in Bihta, 33 km away from the Bihar capital.
The proposal was discussed between Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Minister for Defence Manohar Parrikar at a meeting in the first week of July.
It is learnt that Parrikar was receptive to the proposal and assured Raju that he would look into the matter. If approved, defence operations will shift from Bihta to the existing Airports Authority of India (AAI) facility in Gaya.
The move is being considered ahead of an International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) audit in November this year. During its previous visit, the United Nations body had flagged concerns about continuing passenger operations out of the Loknayak Jaya Prakash airport at Patna, which is not licensed by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). On July 17, 2000, an Alliance Air flight crashed while landing at Patna airport, killing 55 of the 58 people on board and five on the ground. A senior official in MoCA said: “The airport at Patna does not have the required safety strip of 150 metres along the runway. All airlines have to fly with load penalty and keep 20-30 seats empty on board each flight. Given the operational constraints, the ministry is keen that civilian operations shift to the airbase in Bihta.”
18/07/15 Sharmistha Mukherjee/Indian Express
To Read the News in full at Source, Click the Headline
The proposal was discussed between Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Minister for Defence Manohar Parrikar at a meeting in the first week of July.
It is learnt that Parrikar was receptive to the proposal and assured Raju that he would look into the matter. If approved, defence operations will shift from Bihta to the existing Airports Authority of India (AAI) facility in Gaya.
The move is being considered ahead of an International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) audit in November this year. During its previous visit, the United Nations body had flagged concerns about continuing passenger operations out of the Loknayak Jaya Prakash airport at Patna, which is not licensed by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). On July 17, 2000, an Alliance Air flight crashed while landing at Patna airport, killing 55 of the 58 people on board and five on the ground. A senior official in MoCA said: “The airport at Patna does not have the required safety strip of 150 metres along the runway. All airlines have to fly with load penalty and keep 20-30 seats empty on board each flight. Given the operational constraints, the ministry is keen that civilian operations shift to the airbase in Bihta.”
18/07/15 Sharmistha Mukherjee/Indian Express
