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Time of India
3 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Obstacles delay DGCA nod for advanced runway lighting system at BPIA
Bhubaneswar: A few coconut trees, a temple and an unauthorised building at Jagamara, close to the boundary and landing area, have turned impediments in getting approval from the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for the category-2 runway lighting system at Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) here. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Airport authorities said the DGCA team found the obstructions unfit to operationalise the instrument landing system (ILS) cat-2 on the runway. BPIA authorities recently surveyed the area jointly with agencies like Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA), general administration (GA) department and police. "Several obstructions like trees, electric poles and shops lie on the approach side of runway-14, which infringe on the approach light and obstacle-free zone (OFZ) of the airport. DGCA has pointed out these anomalies. A survey was carried out, and objects were identified. Through a joint survey, an initial assessment was done by a team from Airports Authority of India (AAI), BMC, BDA and GA on May 5," said airport director Prasanna Pradhan. He said the structures have to be demolished or trees have to be cut for installing the lighting. Waiting hours for air passengers will be reduced, and planes can land in low visibility after operationalisation of ILS category-2 lighting along the runway. The system will facilitate the landing of aircraft with low visibility up to 300 metres. The current lighting system (category-1) provides visibility to the runway from 500 m. Airport officials said the new facility was ready before March 31, but for the operational safety of aircraft, DGCA approval is important. Around BPIA, there are residential areas, colonies, apartments, commercial centres, trees, ponds and fish and meat shops. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Many are within the permissible limits and don't hamper airport operations. But some facilities close to the runway pose a threat. In the past, many tall trees around the airport, mostly towards Jagamara, Pokhariput and Gandamunda, were either cut or pruned to avoid nesting and providing shelter for birds. Pradhan said a temple in Jagamara has three tall coconut trees and a water body nearby. Work on a third terminal (T3) in BPIA is likely to start soon as the tender process has begun. Senior airport officials, including Pradhan, discussed plans for the new terminal building during a meeting. The proposed terminal (T3) may pave the way for segregated handling of arrivals and departures. BPIA now operates with two terminals — T1 for domestic flights and T2 for international operations.
Time of India
24-05-2025
- Time of India
Bar on visitors at city airport to continue amid heightened vigil
1 2 Bhubaneswar: With the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) extending the red alert at Biju Patnaik International Airport here for seven more days following the recent tensions between India and Pakistan, common visitors will not be allowed to enter the BPIA. Additionally, the activation of BPIA's anti-hijacking cell will remain in force, and a high alert status will be maintained. Earlier, BPIA authorities conducted a comprehensive review of navigational assets to ensure operational security. "Until further notice, the airport will be out of bounds for common visitors in view of the recent tensions. Secondary ladder point check (SLPC) will be in place for some more days. The second layer of security check is carried out in emergency situations and on special occasions," said airport director Prasanna Pradhan. Sources said the last time the airport authorities 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 personnel before proceeding to the departure lounge, no further checking is done. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trade Bitcoin & Ethereum – No Wallet Needed! IC Markets Start Now Undo Airport sources said in view of the tensions, the BCAS issued directions to airport authorities not to provide visitor passes for entering terminal buildings. On an average, around 200 people visit the airport every day. The visitors include tourists and relatives and friends of passengers. Bhubaneswar airport is treated as sensitive by BCAS. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Brother's Day wishes , messages and quotes !
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.
Hans India
28-04-2025
- Hans India
Stranded passengers protest at airport
Bhubaneswar: A section of passengers on Sunday demonstrated at the entrance of Biju Patnaik International Airport here, alleging that they were left stranded for hours after several flights to Kolkata were diverted to Bhubaneswar due to bad weather. The passengers claimed that many of them, including children, were not given food or water after landing. A student said she missed an examination after her flight was diverted to Bhubaneswar. 'I have been stranded for more than eight hours at the airport. I had to miss my examination due to this,' she said. Bhubaneswar Airport Director Prasanna Pradhan said eight Kolkata-bound flights were diverted to Bhubaneswar between 10 pm on Saturday and 1.15 am on Sunday, Out of these flights, six were cleared to return to Kolkata after a temporary halt, he said. However, two Spicejet flights remained grounded as Bhubaneswar airport is a 'non-operational airport' for Spicejet, the official said. 'Due to duty time limitation of the pilots and formal checking of the aircraft, the flights were detained here. The airline arranged buses and hotel accommodation for the passengers. However, some of them did not go to the hotels,' Pradhan said. He also said that the airport authority provided refreshments to the stranded passengers, and they were set to depart for Kolkata in two flights.
Time of India
27-04-2025
- Time of India
Nor'wester forces diversion of 8 Kolkata-bound flights to BPIA
1 2 Bhubaneswar/Kolkata: Several passengers headed to Kolkata on Saturday night were stranded at Bhubaneswar airport from late Saturday evening to early Sunday morning, following the diversion of eight Kolkata-bound flights during a nor'wester. The strong crosswinds made landing and take-off hazardous, forcing arriving flights to either hover over Kolkata or divert to other airports and departing flights to stay on hold. On late Saturday night and early Sunday, eight arriving flights had to be diverted to Bhubaneswar's Biju Patnaik International Airport . The diverted flights were from Delhi, Jaipur, Srinagar, Chennai and Guwahati. While some flights managed to return to Kolkata post-midnight, around 1.30 am, others were delayed much longer, with the last arrivals touching down as late as 7.40 am on Sunday. Stuck at Bhubaneswar airport overnight, a section of passengers demonstrated at the entrance of the facility, alleging that they were left stranded for hours. The passengers were irked over 'non-availability' of food and water services at BPIA. Even after the weather conditions improved, the passengers faced delay in reaching their destination. "I boarded a Spice Jet flight from Delhi to Kolkata at 9.50 pm on Saturday. At 12 am, the flight operator sent a message informing that flight will make a landing at Bhubaneswar airport. We landed at 12.30 am at Bhubaneswar. However, we had to sit inside the flight for two hours. At 1.30 am, the Bhubaneswar airport authorities assured us to provide accommodation and flight services here. Around 300 passengers were stranded here, but we received nothing from the operator nor from the airport authorities," one of the passengers said in an X post. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trade Bitcoin & Ethereum – No Wallet Needed! IC Markets Start Now Undo BPIa director Prasanna Pradhan said that while six flights returned at night after the weather improved, two SpiceJet flights returned on Sunday morning. "The diverted flights landed safely. There was no safety issue," Pradhan said. Airport officials said the passengers of two flights operated by SpiceJet were halted in Bhubaneswar for long as the airlines does not operate at BPIA. "They had no engineers at night to certify the airworthiness of the aircraft. The airworthiness clearance was given in the morning," said an official. Airlines sources said since there is no SpiceJet base in Bhubaneswar, they had to fly down crew from another place to clear the flight for travel.
