Latest news with #BijuPatnaikInternationalAirport
Time of India
13-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
City airport may be privatised soon
1 2 Bhubaneswar: Biju Patnaik International Airport in the city is likely to be among 11 airports in the country which are privatised soon. Sources said the govt is likely to seal the privatisation deal in July or said the initiative aligns with the Centre's goal to privatise these AAI-managed airports by this year. The 11 airports together handle 10% of India's domestic passenger traffic and 4% of total overseas passengers. Once privatised, the entity will take up more commercial ventures inside and outside the BPIA to boost its revenues. Out of the 11 airports, Bhubaneswar is one that is considered profit-making. According to the Union civil aviation ministry, one management (player) will operate Bhubaneswar and another airport in Hubballi (Karnataka), which has been clubbed with Odisha. Earlier, Trichy airport was clubbed with year, Rajya Sabha member Niranjan Bishi raised the BPIA privatisation matter in the Upper House. "BPIA handles over 4.6 million passengers annually. It is a profit-making airport in India. And it is the eighth most profit-making airport out of a total of 102 airports in our country. So, proposed privatisation after 62 years of successful operation is a matter of great concern," Bishi told the House in Aug last a reply to Bishi on Aug 5 last year, minister of state Murlidhar Mohol told the Parliament that airports are leased out for their better management, utilising private sector efficiency and investment. States and passengers are the ultimate beneficiaries of enhanced airport infrastructure and facilities created by the private partner, who operates, manages, and develops the leased airport under chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi said at least 15 of the 30 districts will get heliports, while a greenfield airport will come up in Paradip. He also discussed how to expedite work on the proposed Shree Jagannath Airport in Puri and upgrade of the existing airport in Rourkela.
Time of India
12-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Bhubaneswar ghaziabad flight likely to resume as airport operations restart
Bhubaneswar: The lone flight from Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) in city to Ghaziabad may resume soon with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) resuming commercial operations in Hindon and other airports, which were temporarily closed owing to the Indo-Pak tension. "The lone Bhubaneswar-Ghaziabad flight is likely to run soon. The airline (Air India Express) will take a final call on this on Tuesday," an airport officer Bhubaneswar-Ghaziabad flight is booked to capacity with 180 passengers. It leaves Bhubaneswar at 12.20 pm and reaches Ghaziabad at 2.30 pm. The Hindon airport in Ghaziabad is an IAF base for logistics operations and is also used for commercial operations to decongest IGI airport in New Delhi.
Time of India
10-05-2025
- Time of India
Flights to northern cities not affected by conflict
1 2 3 Bhubaneswar: Flight services from Bhubaneswar to the northern region (Delhi, Lucknow, Dehradun and Jaipur) were not affected during the past four days of escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, with seats being booked almost to capacity. Even as a barrage of drone-borne missiles continued to hit places in Rajasthan, Jammu and the northern airspace became increasingly vulnerable, there were no reports of a drop in passenger footfall, authorities at Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) here said. "Some people, who planned to fly to Jammu or deep into the northern airspace, may have postponed their trip, but there was hardly any cancellation of tickets on those routes," said a BPIA Lucknow and Dehradun flights operate four days a week, Jaipur flights run daily. These routes have one flight each, but Delhi has nine flights a day, and they run daily. The Bhubaneswar-Ghaziabad flight was cancelled indefinitely as Hindon airport, under the Indian Air Force (AF), decided to operate exclusively for military logistics operations. "But now, Air India Express may change its decision to suspend its Ghaziabad operation with improvement in the situation between India and Pakistan," an airport officer Friday, the city airport recorded a footfall of 14,350 passengers for all domestic destinations. The footfall in international flights was also impressive. Till reports last came, Saturday's footfall was also close to that of sources, however, said that until further notice, the airport will still be out of bounds for visitors. The secondary ladder point check (SLPC) will remain activated. The second layer of security check is carried out in emergency situations and on special said the last time the airport activated SLPC was following a threat mail from Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. Airport officials said that minutes before passengers board a flight, their bags will be scanned, and they may be frisked, which is not done usually. Normally, after the primary security check by CISF before proceeding to the departure lounge, no further checking is done.
Hindustan Times
09-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
Bomb scare at Bhubaneswar airport over unclaimed handbag, cleared after security check
Panic swept through Biju Patnaik International Airport of Bhubaneswar on Friday after an unclaimed handbag triggered a security alert. The handbag, containing diapers and a mobile charger, was kept at a luggage trolley of the airport when a staff member noticed it and informed the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel. The CISF personnel then cordoned off the zone and evacuated passengers. The bomb disposal squad and dog squad were deployed to inspect the bag for explosives or hazardous materials. After a thorough investigation, the bag was traced to a woman passenger who had arrived from Hyderabad but had forgotten to collect it back. The woman's relative later took the bag. The passenger's credentials and travel history were verified, confirming no threat. Amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan, the civil aviation ministry announced that 24 airports across the country have been temporarily closed for flight operations as of Thursday evening. The border tensions soared further after Pakistan carried out targetted drone and missile attacks on Indian cities in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Gujarat and Rajasthan. In response to the elevated threat level, several Indian airlines have issued travel advisories, urging passengers to plan accordingly and cooperate with the enhanced security checks.
Time of India
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Two flights cancelled at Bhubaneswar airport amid airspace restrictions after Operation Sindoor
Representative image (ANI) NEW DELHI: Two flights from Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneshwar were cancelled, as officials said on Thursday. This came in the wake of ' Operation Sindoor ' and rising airspace restrictions . The cancelled flights included one to Hindon (Ghaziabad) and another to Chandigarh via Patna, BPIA Director Prasanna Pradhan confirmed. While the Hindon-bound flight was cancelled due to national security-related airspace restrictions in parts of northern and western India, the Chandigarh-Patna flight was grounded for "operational reasons," Pradhan said. Operation Sindoor 'Op Sindoor's precision & execution was unimaginable': Rajnath Singh Operation Sindoor: India repels drone, missile attack across LoC Operation Sindoor: Several airports in India closed - check full list He added that the Patna flight had already been cancelled the previous day, reportedly due to technical issues with the aircraft. Around 27 airports across India are currently facing temporary closures or flight disruptions as a security precaution after the Indian armed forces launched strikes on terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in retaliation for last month's Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed 26 lives.
