Biju Patnaik Airport

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"BBI Airport" redirects here. For the German airport formerly abbreviated/titled as BBI (Berlin Brandenburg International), see Berlin Brandenburg Airport.

Biju Patnaik Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
Owner/OperatorAirports Authority of India
ServesBhubaneswar
LocationBhubaneswar, Odisha, India
Opened17 April 1962; 62 years ago (1962-04-17)
Hub forIndiaOne Air, IndiGo
Elevation AMSL42 m / 138 ft
Coordinates20°14′40″N 085°49′04″E / 20.24444°N 85.81778°E / 20.24444; 85.81778
WebsiteBhubaneswar Airport
Maps
BBI is located in Odisha
BBI
BBI
Location of airport in Odisha
BBI is located in India
BBI
BBI
BBI (India)
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
05/23 1,379 4,525 Asphalt
14/32 2,743 9,000 Asphalt
Statistics (April 2023 – March 2024)
Passengers4,600,615 (Increase 26.9%)
Aircraft movements35,368 (Increase 15%)
Cargo tonnage9,887 (Increase 0.7%)
Source: AAI[1][2][3]

Biju Patnaik Airport (IATA: BBI, ICAO: VEBS) is an international airport serving Bhubaneswar, the capital city of Odisha, India. It is situated around 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) south-west of Bhubaneswar Railway Station and 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) from the city center.[4]

Named after Biju Patnaik, the former Chief Minister of Odisha and a famed aviator and freedom fighter, it is the 14th busiest airport in India and the 11th busiest among the airports maintained by the Airports Authority of India. It is the 18th busiest airport in India in terms of cargo traffic. In the fiscal year 2023-24, it handled over 4.6 million passengers and over 9.8 thousand metric tonnes of cargo.[1][3]

History

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The airport was dedicated to the people of Odisha on 17 April 1962, becoming the first ever commercial airport in the state. The airport boasts two active scheduled passenger terminals, Terminals 1 and 2, for domestic and international passengers respectively.

In March 2013, the former Minister of Civil Aviation, Ajit Singh, inaugurated the Terminal 1, which caters to domestic passengers, whereas Terminal 2 was then refurbished to handle international operations.[5] The Government of India accorded international status to the airport on 30 October 2013 after Air India started flights to Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok and AirAsia started flights to Kuala Lumpur.[6][7][8] However, these routes were terminated later due to Covid-19.[9] International operations recommenced from Bhubaneswar in May 2023 after IndiGo started direct flights to Bangkok, Dubai and Singapore.[10][11] In May 2023, the airport opened a 4 MW solar plant, which switched it to a fully sustainable and energy-saving airport, by running entirely on renewable energy.[12] In May 2024, AirAsia resumed international operations from the airport with flights to Kuala Lumpur.[13]

Infrastructure

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Biju Patnaik Airport serves as one of Eastern India's major civil aviation hubs. The airport boasts two actively scheduled passenger terminals, Terminals 1 and 2.

Terminals

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Terminal 1

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Terminal 1 building as seen from the airside

Inaugurated in March 2013, the terminal has a capacity of 4 million passengers per annum and was built at a cost of ₹ 1.45 billion by Lanco Infratech.[14][5][15] The AAI has developed the new terminal as part of the upgrade of 35 non-metro airports across the country.[16] Terminal 1, a two-storied building with a total area of 18,240 square metres (196,300 sq ft), consists of 4 aerobridges, 4 elevators, several escalators, 18 check-in counters, 3 arrival luggage conveyors, a spa, and multiple seating areas. Apart from the Departure and Arrival Lounges, Terminal 1 also has several other lounges, including VIP Lounges, Pal Heights Spa Lounge, Dakota Lounge, and Mayfair Lounge.[5][17] The terminal is environment-friendly, built according to green building standards with sewage treatment plants and provision for rain water harvesting. The internal walls of the terminal are decorated with tribal motifs, designs, masks, and sculptures derived from Odisha's culture.[18] The new terminal also has food kiosks, gift shops, bookstores, art galleries and handloom/handicraft kiosks.[19]

Terminal 2

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Terminal 2 handles international operations. It was built in the mid-1960s to cater domestic flights. The terminal being built over an area of 6,264 square metres (67,430 sq ft), consists of 6 check-in counters, 10 immigration counters, 4 customs counters, numerous amenities and multiple seating areas.[20] Constructed with a budget of 872 million, a link building connects Terminal 1 and 2, majorly used for domestic and international arrivals.[21]

International Cargo Terminal

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With an annual cargo handling capacity of 26,490 metric tonnes, the Biju Patnaik International Airport is one of the major Air Cargo hubs in Eastern India.[22] Air cargo operations at the airport are managed by Airports Authority of India's Cargo Logistics and Allied Services Company Limited, i.e. the AAICLAS.[23]

Runways

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The airport has two intersecting runways, the primary runway 14/32 for all major operations, and the secondary runway 05/23 for light aircraft operations.

Runways at BPI Airport
Runway number Length Width Approach lights/ILS
14/32 2,743 m (8,999 ft) 45 m (148 ft) CAT-I / CAT-II
05/23 1,379 m (4,524 ft) 45 m (148 ft) CAT-I / CAT-II

Coast Guard Air Enclave

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Indian Coast Guard's Air Enclave along with its 743 Dornier Squadron was commissioned by former Vice-Admiral Anurag G Thapliyal, Director General of the Indian Coast Guard at the Biju Patnaik International Airport on 15 December 2014.[24] The units operate under the operational and administrative control of the Commander of the Coast Guard Region (North East) through the Commander, Coast Guard District No 7 (Odisha). Several strategic air operations are streamlined and synergised for the protection of the sea areas off the Coastal Odisha.[25]

Airlines and destinations

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AirlinesDestinations
AirAsia Kuala Lumpur–International[26]
Air India Delhi, Mumbai (both resume 12 November 2024)
Air India Express Bangalore, Chennai,[27] Delhi, Hyderabad,[28] Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune
Akasa Air Bangalore[29]
Alliance Air Jharsuguda, Kolkata, Rourkela
IndiaOne Air Berhampur,[30] Bhawanipatna,[31] Jamshedpur,[32] Jeypore
IndiGo Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi,[11] Chennai, Delhi, Dubai–International, Durgapur,[33] Guwahati,[34] Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai,[35] Patna, Prayagraj, Raipur, Ranchi, Bagdogra,[33] Singapore,[11] Varanasi
Vistara Delhi, Mumbai (both end 11 November 2024)[36]

Incidents

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  • On 22 December 2007, while Surya Kiran, Indian Air Force's aerobatics demonstration team was undergoing training exercise. After refuelling and takeoff, one of its four HAL HJT-16 Kiran jets caught fire and crash landed on the runway of Biju Patnaik Airport. The pilot was safely rescued with minor injuries and the exercise was immediately called off after the mishap.[37]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Annexure III – Passenger Data" (PDF). aai.aero. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  2. ^ "Annexure II – Aircraft Movement Data" (PDF). aai.aero. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Annexure IV – Freight Movement Data" (PDF). aai.aero. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  4. ^ "Bhubaneswar Airport". Airport Economic Regulatory Authority. Archived from the original on 29 January 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  5. ^ a b c "New terminal at Bhubaneswar airport starts operations". Business Standard. 14 March 2013. Archived from the original on 30 December 2013. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
  6. ^ "Centre accords international tag to Bhubaneswar airport". The Times of India. 31 October 2013. Archived from the original on 31 December 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  7. ^ "Air India to commence Bhubaneswar to Bangkok direct flights from December 10". Indian Express. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  8. ^ "AirAsia starts Operations on Kuala Lumpur-Bhubaneswar Route". www.ntvprofit.com. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
  9. ^ "Air India Suspends Bhubaneswar to Bangkok Flight Service". Odisha TV. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  10. ^ "INDIGO ADDS BHUBANESWAR – DUBAI FROM MAY 2023". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  11. ^ a b c "IndiGo strengthens connectivity to Southeast Asia, adds flights connecting Singapore, Bangkok". Zee Business. 3 May 2023. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  12. ^ Raj, Amulya (7 May 2023). "Bhubaneswar's Biju Patnaik International Airport Becomes Self-Sustainable, Installs 4 MP Solar Power Plant". Zee News. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  13. ^ "AirAsia resumes Kuala Lumpur - Bhubaneswar service in 2Q24". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  14. ^ "Lanco Infratech bags Rs 92 cr order from AAI". Business Standard. 4 June 2010. Archived from the original on 30 December 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  15. ^ Singha, Minati (5 March 2013). "International airport to take off by June". Times of India. Archived from the original on 24 September 2016. Retrieved 5 March 2013.
  16. ^ Barik, Bibhuti (8 August 2011). "March date for swanky airport". The Telegraph. Calcutta, India. Archived from the original on 1 August 2013. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
  17. ^ Barik, Bibhuti (24 June 2011). "Airport work speeds up – Capital set for take-off in style". The Telegraph. Calcutta, India. Archived from the original on 1 August 2013. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
  18. ^ "New terminal at Bhubaneswar airport thrown open". The Times of India. 6 March 2013. Archived from the original on 8 March 2013. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
  19. ^ Ramanath V, Riyan (5 February 2013). "Plans to provide spa facilities at airport". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 30 December 2013. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
  20. ^ "Bhubaneswar - Technical Information". Airports Authority of India. 22 August 2016. Archived from the original on 7 June 2017. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  21. ^ "Bhubaneswar airport to get new terminal soon". Odisha TV. 23 February 2019. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  22. ^ "Improvement in Air Cargo Capacity" (PDF). Parliament of India. 19 December 2012. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  23. ^ "AAICLAS: Facilities". aaiclas.aero. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  24. ^ "Coast Guard's new air enclave inaugurated in Bhubaneswar". 15 December 2014. Archived from the original on 13 October 2016. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  25. ^ "Commissioning of Coast Guard Air Enclave Bhubaneswar & 743 Squadron (CG)". 15 December 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  26. ^ "AIRASIA RESUMES KUALA LUMPUR – BHUBANESWAR SERVICE IN 2Q24". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  27. ^ "Bhubaneswar to Chennai, 12 August 2024". Air India Express. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
  28. ^ "Bhubaneswar to Hyderabad, 1 August 2024". Air India Express. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
  29. ^ "Akasa Air Flight Network". Akasa Air. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  30. ^ Baliarsingh, Cassian (5 March 2023). "Non-scheduled flight services commence from Bhubaneswar to Rangeilunda Airport". Odisha TV. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  31. ^ Cassian, Baliarsingh (31 August 2023). "Odisha's Utkela Airport welcomes first flight from Bhubaneswar; check timings, price, other details". Odisha TV. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  32. ^ "Flight links Jamshedpur with Kolkata, Bhubaneswar". Press Trust of India. 31 January 2023. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  33. ^ a b Baliarsingh, Cassian (31 August 2024). "IndiGo introduces direct flights from Bhubaneswar to Bagdogra via Durgapur". Odisha TV. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  34. ^ "IndiGo to launch flights to Bhubaneswar from Guwahati effective October 29". AviationAll. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  35. ^ "IndiGo to resume Lucknow-Raipur-Bhubaneswar service from Jun-2023". CAPA. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  36. ^ "Domestic Flight Schedule (Winter)". Directorate General of Civil Aviation (India). Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  37. ^ "IAF aircraft crash landed at Bhubaneswar airport". One India. 22 December 2007. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
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