The Centre is ready to strengthen the existing aviation infrastructure in Odisha, but the State Government should ensure land for the proposed new international airport near Bhubaneswar, said Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
In reply to question, he said that while the Jharsuguda airport in the State is a “full-fledged” one, the Centre is willing to cooperate with the State Government to address infrastructure gaps.
As regards setting up of a new international airport near Bhubaneswar, Puri said: “Three sites have been identified by authorities concerned. But the Airport Authority of India found them to be inadequate. The fourth site is under discussion.”
The aviation infrastructure needs to be strengthened in Odisha as there has been a 25% growth in the number of air passengers at the Bhubaneswar airport while a 24% growth in cargo and a 30% growth in number of flights, he said. Pointing out that the Centre does not normally construct a greenfield airport within 150 km in a State, Puri said, “Since the existing airport does not have the capacity, we are willing to do it. But the State Government has to provide the land.”
Regarding a request for direct flights from Bhubaneswar to Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore to facilitate religious and cultural tourism, Puri said, “So if there is a demand, I would recommend authorities concerned to reach out directly to service providers or through us.”
“The decision to operationalise a route from Bhubaneswar to Jakarta or Bhubaneswar to Colombo will entirely depend on the commercial viability of the proposition,” he added.