Biju Patnaik Airport or Bhubaneshwar Airport is situated in the capital of Orissa. It is located 3 km south from the city. The Bhubaneshwar Airport is named after the Chief Minister of Orissa, Biju Patnaik. Biju Patnaik was also a legendary freedom fighter as well as a famed aviator. It serves as the only major airport in Orissa. Jet Lite (Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore); Air India IC (Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Raipur); Air India Regional (Chennai, Kolkata, Ranchi); Air Deccan (Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore,Visakhapatnam); Kingfisher Airlines (Kolkata); Indigo (Hyderabad, Bangalore, Delhi) are the domestic airlines that serve the Biju Patnaik Airport. Hotel Swosti, Kalinga Ashok, Garden Inn, Crown and Sishmo are located nearby.
Runway of the Biju Patnaik Airport measures 5850 ft and the runway elevation is 146 ft. The airports coordinates are 85° 49` 03.87" E, 20° 14` 40.07" N. The Biju Patnaik Airport like other airports also demand special attention. Looking into the rapid growth of industrialisation taking place in Orissa, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) in the recent past had declared a plan for the `construction of a new integrated international airport complex at Bhubaneshwar by 2010`. For this project it has been estimated that over US $50 million (Rs. 2.5 billion) needs to be invested. After successful completion of this project, Biju Patnaik Airport will be a major airport in eastern India.
For this project the state government of Orissa has allowed 70 acres of land for the expansion of the runway to 10,500 feet, to handle the Boeing 747 aircraft. The new terminal building will be given a modular design, with glass glazing, aerobridges with glass walls, and inline x-ray baggage. The extention work also involves building a parallel taxi track for the airport with the aim of enhancing cargo handling facilities that could handle up to 30 aircrafts per hour. Under the public private partnership (PPP) near the airport, a complex for multiplex, shopping complex, hotel and other commercial establishments will also be founded. Global Technical Advisory (GTA), a London based company has been asked to prepare a master plan for upgradation of the Bhubaneshwar airport.
