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Bhubaneswar, June 16: The Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) got a boost Thursday with the regional executive director (eastern region) of the Airports Authority of India (AAI), Sanjay Jain, inaugurating the common user domestic cargo terminal at the airport.
The cargo terminal will help boost business in the state, according to experts in the aviation sector. Currently, BPIA gets more inbound cargo than outbound cargo. “We are handling around 8.5 tonnes of outbound cargo and 23 tonnes of inbound cargo. We annually expect more than 30 tonnes of cargo movement from BPIA. This will provide more income for the airlines too,” said Jain.
The new cargo terminal will have all modern facilities and will also be beneficial for local business, Jain said.
“The cargo terminal has bigger X Ray machines, CCTV cameras, explosive detection facilities and round-the-clock CISF security cover,” said Jain.
AAI plans to undertake more infrastructure development at BPIA, Jain said. The airport will also have more domestic flights, he said.
“We have already decided to initiate more development work at BPIA. Within two years, the airport will have an addition control tower, two hangers and a new workshop. The new control tower will be established at a cost of `32 crore and the hangers at a cost of ` 31 crore. The workshop will be constructed at an estimated cost of `20 crore. We have also decided to upgrade the fire station at BPIA at an estimated cost of `17 crore. The airport will also have more domestic flights to Kolkata and Delhi by next month,” Jain said.
There also are plans for setting up an international cargo terminal at BPIA, he said. “We are studying the feasibility of starting an international cargo terminal at BPIA. The airport has the potential of further development and we will consider projects in a fast-track manner,” said Jain.
