Patna: The new terminal building at Jay Prakash Narayan International Airport, Patna, is set to be fully ready in the first week of April and is likely to be inaugurated and made operational by the end of the month. Alongside, an aerobridge will also become functional, allowing all departing passengers to board flights directly from the terminal.
Construction is progressing at an accelerated pace, with work being carried out in double shifts daily and around 750 workers engaged in the project. While the civil work for the terminal is complete, electrical fittings and fire safety installations have also been finalised. Painting and interior decoration are in the advanced stages, with around 25-30% of painting and 40% of interior work still pending. Officials involved in the construction indicated that these were initially scheduled for completion by March-end but are expected to be delayed by four to five days due to Holi, as a large number of workers will be on leave.
The airport will have a total of five aerobridges, though only one will be operational in April. The construction of the remaining four will commence once the new terminal is functional, as they are to be built on land currently occupied by the existing terminal. These are expected to be completed by July.
Landscaping efforts are also underway, with 60% of the gardens in the new terminal premises already completed. The remaining work is scheduled for completion by the end of April.
In terms of aircraft parking, Patna airport currently has six parking bays. Five additional bays are planned on the site of the existing terminal building, with their construction set to begin after the new terminal becomes operational. Demolition of the old terminal is expected to start in May, and the new parking bays will be ready by June. By the end of the year, all 11 parking bays will be arranged in two rows in front of the new terminal.
