By Neeraj Kumar
Patna, June 23: The construction of a parallel taxi track and an isolation parking bay at Patna Airport has been completed. The final steps of cleaning and painting are currently underway, and the project is expected to be fully finished by the end of this month. Commissioning is set to begin next month, with an application for approval to be submitted to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The DGCA is anticipated to take three to four weeks to inspect and approve the application, with operations slated to commence in August.
The parallel taxi track, constructed at a cost of ₹25 crore, spans 1,389 meters in length and 30 meters in total width, including a 23-meter aircraft movement path and 3.5-meter shoulders on both sides for lighting. Construction began in October 2022 and was completed in 20 months. This new track will allow aircraft to clear the runway within a minute after landing, facilitating flight operations every two minutes and significantly boosting the airport’s capacity to over 300 flights daily. This increase in capacity will be crucial once the new terminal building is operational, raising the annual passenger capacity from 2.5 million to 8 million.
The isolation parking bay, built for ₹12 crore, measures 68 meters by 58 meters and includes a 216-meter taxi track. This bay is designated for aircraft facing bomb threats, positioned near the airport boundary by the Phulwari railway line to minimize risk to the rest of the airport in case of an incident. Like the parallel taxi track, it features a 23-meter path for aircraft movement and 3.5-meter shoulders for lighting installation.
These developments mark a significant enhancement in Patna Airport’s infrastructure, aimed at accommodating increased passenger traffic and ensuring safety and efficiency in flight operations.
The author is a journalist based in PatnaÂ
