NEW DELHI: As air traffic grows at Patna airport, also known as the Jaiprakash Narayan Airport, the government is considering moving the facility outside Bihar's capital city to a larger and safer location.
According to senior government officials, negotiations are underway between the ministry of civil aviation and the air force to shift the airport from Patna to Bihta, which is a defence airfield 20 km away from the existing facility.
However, the new location of the airport seems to have become a bone of contention between the Centre and state governments, as the latter is batting to shift the facility to Nalanda, which is 90 km away from Patna, instead of Bihta.
"There are land constraints in Patna airport and we want it to be shifted for future expansion. About 90 acres is available at Bihta and talks are going on with the Air Force to let us make a civil enclave there," a senior government official told ET.
The official pointed out that Nalanda would not be a fitting replacement to Patna as a distance of 90 km will dampen traffic growth. "In addition, the state government will have to acquire thousands of hectares and spend their own money to do so, which is not an easy prospect or something which can be done in a short span of time," he added.
Confirming the tug of war over the above-mentioned locations, officials from the Airports Authority of India(AAI) said that they don't mind having an additional airport at Nalanda, but the need of the hour is to first have a bigger airport near Bihar's capital to support traffic growth in Patna.
The airport at Patna is considered to be one of the most critical airports in the country just like Jammu,Calicut and Mangalore, in terms of flight operations due to short runway length (1,600 m as opposed to 1,800 m) and obstacles in the form of trees in both ap-proaches of runway and several other deficiencies, including obstacles on private land around airport.
The AAI and the Bihar government were at loggerheads for over a year for unsafe operations, especially in the backdrop of the crash of an Air India aircraft in Mangalore.
The AAI sent several notices to the state government in the last two years, requesting chopping down of trees around the runway at the Patna airport, which culminated in civil aviation minister Ajit Singh sending a notice last August, grounding operations of big aircraft there.
This move followed a recommendation from aviation regulator DGCA, holding back operating licence of Patna airport because of obstructions on aircraft approach funnel.
Traffic at Patna airport crossed the one million-mark last year and is growing at 30% per annum.
Last year, the AAI identified 101 obstructions on either side of the runway at the Patna airport, which were considered dangerous for aircraft landing here. The obstructions include 3,700 huge trees around the Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park, high-rise buildings, railway cabin, overhead traction lines, mobile towers, a temple, a tall light mast on a burial ground, hoardings, streetlights and electrical poles.
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