Patna: Darbhanga is poised to become Bihar’s first fully recognised international airport, with the state government formally requesting the Ministry of Civil Aviation to grant it international status. According to sources, the proposal has been sent by chief secretary Pratyaya Amrit, marking a significant step in expanding the state’s aviation infrastructure.
The move comes amid long-standing limitations on Patna Airport’s international operations. Its only international route — flights to Nepal — was suspended after the 1999 hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight IC-814 from Kathmandu to Delhi, which forced a landing in Kandahar. Since then, Patna has retained international airport status only on paper, despite having no active international services.
Gaya Airport offers direct connections to several Asian destinations, including Japan, Thailand, Myanmar and Sri Lanka, largely catering to Buddhist pilgrimage routes. Yet it does not hold full international airport status under current classifications.
Airport categories and Patna’s status
India classifies airports into four types: international, domestic, customs and defence. International airports handle both domestic and international flights and generally have larger operational capacity. There are around 29 such airports in India.
Customs airports, like Patna, have limited civilian traffic and focus primarily on customs inspection, duty collection and monitoring smuggling. Patna Airport is designated as a customs airport and requires the presence of customs and immigration officers — both of which remain vacant posts at present.
Expansion under way at Darbhanga
Work is advancing at Darbhanga Airport to meet international standards. Its runway, currently 2,743 metres long, is set to be extended to 3,657 metres. For this expansion, 89.75 acres of land are being acquired at a cost of Rs 244.6 crore.
The district administration in Darbhanga has also been asked to submit a requisition for a logistics park near the airport, signalling plans to develop the area as a regional aviation and cargo hub.
If approved, Darbhanga would become the first airport in Bihar to receive full international status, marking a major milestone in the state’s connectivity and infrastructure push.
