Patna: Work to expand air connectivity across Bihar is gathering pace, with the state government setting out plans to extend flight services beyond Patna, Gaya, Darbhanga and Purnea to a wider network of regional towns.
Presenting the 2026–27 budget in the Bihar legislative assembly on Tuesday, finance minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav said it was preparing to introduce small aircraft operations from airports in Muzaffarpur, Saharsa, Bhagalpur, Beerpur, Munger, Motihari, Chhapra, Madhubani and Valmikinagar. The budget also confirmed that steps had begun to revive defunct airports at Begusarai and Gopalganj, alongside the construction of two new greenfield airports in the state.
A separate civil aviation department, set up a few months ago, is overseeing the expansion. According to the budget documents, preliminary feasibility studies have been approved for reactivating the Ulaw airport in Begusarai and the Sabeya military airstrip in Gopalganj, with Rs 81 lakh allocated for the initial work.
The government is also moving ahead with new greenfield airports. One is under construction at Sultanganj in Bhagalpur district, where 931 acres of land are being acquired at an estimated cost of Rs 472 crore. Another greenfield airport is planned at Sonpur in Saran district, intended to serve Patna, Hajipur and Chhapra. Administrative approval for land acquisition at Sonpur is under process, with projected costs of Rs 1,302 crore. Officials have also reiterated plans for a greenfield airport at Rajgir in Nalanda district, though this project was not specifically mentioned in this year’s budget.
Alongside new construction, upgrades are underway at several existing facilities. Darbhanga airport is being expanded to international standards, with runway extension work and a new civil enclave in progress, as well as plans for a cargo terminal. Development work continues at Bihta airport near Patna, while land acquisition is underway for airports at Raxaul and Supaul. At Saharsa, the runway is being extended to make the airport operational.
