Biju Patnaik International Airport is an international airport serving

Bhubaneswar Bhubaneswar (; ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Odisha. The region, especially the old town, was historically often depicted as ''Ekamra Kshetra'' (area (''kshetra'') adorned with mango trees (''ekamra'')). Bhubaneswar is ...

, the capital city of

Odisha Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of ...

. It is situated around south-west from

Bhubaneswar Railway Station Bhubaneswar Railway Station (BBS) serves Bhubaneswar, the capital of the Indian state of Odisha and it is the headquarters of the East Coast Railway zone of the Indian Railways. History During the period 1893 to 1896, 800 miles of East Coast ...

and from the city center. Named after the former

chief minister of Odisha The chief minister of Odisha, an Indian state, is the head of the Government of Odisha. As per the Constitution of India, the governor is the state's ''de jure'' head, but ''de facto'' executive authority rests with the chief minister. Followin ...

Biju Patnaik Bijayananda Patnaik (5 March 1916 – 17 April 1997) was an Indian politician, aviator and businessman. As politician, he served twice as the Chief Minister of the State of Odisha. Early life His parents lived in Bellaguntha, Ganjam dist ...

, a famed aviator and freedom fighter, it is the 16th busiest airport in India and 11th busiest among the airports maintained by Airports Authority of India, registering an 11.7% fall in traffic over the previous year.

History

The airport was dedicated to the people of

on 17 April 1962, becoming the first ever commercial airport in the state. The airport boasts two active scheduled passenger terminals i.e. Terminals 1 and 2 for domestic and international passengers respectively. Former Minister of Civil Aviation, Ajit Singh, inaugurated Terminal 1 on 5 March 2013, which caters to domestic passengers, whereas Terminal 2 was then refurbished to handle international operations. The

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

accorded international status to the airport on 30 October 2013.

Terminals

Biju Patnaik International Airport serves as one of the major civil aviation hubs in Eastern India. The airport boasts two actively scheduled passenger terminals, i.e. Terminals 1 and 2, for domestic and international passengers respectively.

Terminal 1

Inaugurated in March 2013, the terminal has a capacity of 4 million passengers per annum and was built at a cost of 1.45 billion by

Lanco Infratech Lanco Infratech (Lagadapati Amarappa Naidu and Company Infratech) was a large Indian conglomerate that became insolvent in 2017. It was involved in construction, power, real estate, and several other segments. One of the first Independent Powe ...

. The new terminal has been developed by the AAI as part of the upgrade of 35 non-metro airports across the country. Terminal 1, a two-storied building with a total area of , consists of 4 aerobridges, 4 elevators, several escalators, 18 check-in counters, 3 arrival luggage conveyors, a spa, and multiple seating areas. Apart from the Departure and Arrival Lounges, Terminal 1 also has several other lounges, including VIP Lounges, Pal Heights Spa Lounge, Dakota Lounge and Mayfair Lounge. The terminal is environment-friendly, built according to green building standards, with sewage treatment plants and provision for rain water harvesting. The internal walls of the terminal are decorated with tribal motifs, designs, masks, and sculptures derived from Odisha's culture. The new terminal also has food kiosks, gift shops, bookstores, art galleries and handloom/handicraft kiosks.

Terminal 2

Biju Patnaik Airport, Bhubaneswar, Odisha

Terminal 2 handles international operations to and from the airport. It was built in the mid-1960s to cater domestic flights. The terminal being built over an area of , consists of 6 check-in counters, 10 immigration counters, 4 customs counters, numerous amenities and multiple seating areas. A link building connecting Terminal 1 and 2 is being constructed with a budget of 872 million. It will be used for domestic and international arrivals.

Terminal 3

Terminal 3, is a proposed international passenger terminal, to be set up at a cost of 9.13 billion with a total area of . The terminal would handle 8 million passengers per annum, expanding Biju Patnaik International Airport's capacity to 11.5 million from 3.5 million passengers per annum. The construction work for the terminal is poised to begin in July 2019, with a given construction duration of three years. This terminal, once completed, would handle only international passengers, and the existing terminals 1 and 2 would then cater only domestic passengers' departures and arrivals, respectively. Terminal 2 will be used for both domestic and international arrivals.

Coast Guard Air Enclave

The Coast Guard Air Enclave along with the 743 Dornier Squadron was commissioned by former Vice-Admiral Anurag G Thapliyal,

Director General of the Indian Coast Guard The Director General of the Indian Coast Guard (DG ICG) is the head of the Indian Coast Guard. The DG ICG has their office in the Coast Guard Headquarters (CGHQ) in New Delhi. Appointed by the Government of India, the DG ICG reports to the Mini ...

in Biju Patnaik International Airport on 15 December 2014. The units operate under the operational and administrative control of the Commander of the Coast Guard Region (North East) through the Commander, Coast Guard District No 7 (Odisha). Several strategic air operations are streamlined and synergised for the protection of the sea areas off the Coastal Odisha.

Airlines and destinations

Statistics

References

External links

Biju Patnaik International Airport
at Airports Authority of India {{Airports in India , state=expanded Buildings and structures in Bhubaneswar Airports in Odisha Transport in Bhubaneswar Memorials to Biju Patnaik 1962 establishments in Orissa Airports established in 1962