Excitement Hoards Over Patna This Chhath Puja

• November 17, 2023
• By: Editorial Team
• NEWS

The construction of the world-class facilities and expanded capacity integrated terminal building at Jayaprakash Narayan International Airport, Patna is just at pace. By December of next year, the new terminal building with its auxiliary structures, aerobridges, and additional aprons should become functional in the airport design layout. 

An official at the Airports Authority of India (AAI)- Patna states that most of the civil work has been finished and that the new terminal building for the airport design and construction should be finished by the end of the following year.

With a built-up area of 65,135 square meters, the new structure can accommodate up to 80 lakh passengers annually, with 3,000 passengers during peak hours. With a built-up area of just 11,500 square meters, the current terminal building can accommodate up to seven lakh passengers annually (MPPA).

According to K S Vijayan, general manager (engineering), projects, AAI-Patna, the Patna airport renovation is probably going to be finished by 2024. 

In addition to other passenger services, he claims that the terminal building's basement level will house amenities like baggage conveyor belts, baggage handling services, in-line e-ray scanning machines, sub-stations, air conditioning plants, machinery, and firefighting equipment. This is going to be a new array in building construction architectural design.

As Bihar is intriguingly rich in art and culture, the terminal building's interior design will showcase Bihar's artistic, cultural, and historical legacy to raise the airport architecture standards. The square shapes of the Nalanda University ruins served as inspiration for the building's design. Upon arrival, the central green courtyard will serve as a reflection of the renowned Madhubani painting.

The top floor of the multi-level parking structure, designated for the commercial facilities, will be connected to the terminal building. 52 check-in counters and six-in-line x-ray baggage scanners would be included in the new structure, according to insider reports. In the security hold area, seven hand-baggage scanning machines with automated tray retrieval are scheduled to be installed. With changing architectural trends, the airport will soon be open to the public for all practical purposes.

According to Vijayan, the Patna airport's redevelopment project includes, in addition to the new terminal building, the construction of five additional aprons and five aerobridges, a fire station, a cargo complex, an IMD office, an Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower-cum-technical building, and airside facilities like an isolation bay and parallel taxi track.

Rs 1,216 crore is being spent on the construction of the new terminal building and other related structures. The new airport will be an energy-efficient structure with a four-star Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) rating. This is surely going to be a change in the airport architecture history.