Bihta Air Force Station

The Bihta Air Force Station is an Indian Air Force (IAF) base in Bihta, Bihar, India.[1] The military airfield, commanded by a Group Captain rank IAF officer, lies 40 kilometres southwest of state capital Patna and is spread over an area of around 900 acres.[2][3]

Air Force Station, Bihta


वायु सेना हवाई अड्डा, बिहटा
Summary
Airport typeMilitary
OperatorIndian Air Force
LocationBihta
Elevation AMSL194 ft / 59 m
Coordinates25°35′27″N 84°53′00″E
Map
Bihta Air Force Station
Location of airport in India
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
10/28 2,500 8,202 Asphalt

In 2016, the Airport Authority of India (AAI) proposed to develop a civil enclave at the Bihta airbase to serve as a second airport for Patna. The Indian Air Force gave its consent in April 2016 for commercial flight operations from Bihta as a medium-term measure for development air operations from Patna.[4] The terminal building of the civil enclave will have the capacity to cater up to 2.5 million passengers per annum. It will be two-storied, with the ground floor for arrival and first floor for the departure of passengers.[5] The Khagaul-Shivala-Bihta road, which will be broadened to four lanes, will connect the airport with the city. AAI had earlier estimated a requirement of 600 acres of land for the first Phase and another 790 acres for the second Phase in lieu of the existing Jay Prakash Narayan Airport in Patna.[6]

In October 2016, Bihar cabinet approved the Patna master plan 2031 which envisaged development of a new airport at Bihta.[7][8] The Bihar government identified 126 acres of land at Vishambharpur and Kutlupur for construction of the civil enclave.[9] In November 2016, the Bihar cabinet approved a budget of ₹260 crore for the acquisition of 126 acres of land for the project.[10][11][12]

The AAI and State Government approved the civil enclave design in July 2019, with construction expected to begin by the end of 2019. The first phase entails a two-stored building covering an area of 25,000 square metres. The civil enclave is expected to be ready by 2022 and will cost of over ₹500 crores. In the first phase, the terminal building will be equipped with five aerobridges and parking bays for five aircraft. In the next phase, the terminal area will be doubled to 50,000 square metres with five additional aerobridges and five additional parking bays. Of the 126 acres of land acquired by the State government near Bihta airbase, 108 acres will be used by AAI to build the civil enclave while the remaining 18 acres will be used by the State Government for development of amenities, including a VIP lounge, a hotel and a hangar.[13][5]

See also

References
  1. "Security tightened in Bihta air force base after ISI threat". Kumod Verma, TNN. The Times of India, Patna. 23 July 2002. Archived from the original on 10 May 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  2. "Land hurdle for Bihta take-off". The Telegraph (Calcutta). 12 March 2015. Archived from the original on 12 March 2015. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 28 April 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2016.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. "Bihta gets bigger wings". The Telegraph. 8 April 2016. Archived from the original on 11 April 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
  5. "DPR for Bihta civil enclave likely to be ready next week". The Times of India. 22 May 2019. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  6. "AAI Proposes to Develop Airport at Bihta for International Operations". Business Standard. 10 March 2015. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  7. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 7 August 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2016.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. "पटना मास्टर प्लान 2031 मेट्रोपोलिटन कमेटी नक्शा पास करेगी". Archived from the original on 4 November 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  9. "Land identified to make Bihta airport operational for flyers". Archived from the original on 29 September 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  10. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 17 November 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2016.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  11. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 21 November 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2016.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 16 November 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2016.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  13. "Design okayed; Patna to get its second airport by 2022". The Times of India. 14 July 2019. Retrieved 30 September 2019.



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