Bhubaneswar to have second airport, says Civil Aviation Ministry

Bhubaneswar, Odisha's capital, will soon have a second airport to reduce congestion at the existing one, the Civil Aviation Ministry said on Wednesday.

"Identification of a suitable land to build a second airport near Khurda on then outskirts of Bhubaneswar has been initiated. The set-up process will be fast tracked. The new airport will reduce air traffic congestion while improving passenger convenience," the ministry tweeted.

Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had urged Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu to set up a new airport on the outskirts of the city as the existing airport was nearing saturation.
         
"The airport, which was started in 1962, is near saturation and faces severe space and runway-related constraints. There is, thus, an urgent need to set up a new airport at Bhubaneswar given the tremendous growth potential of this smart city," Pradhan wrote in a letter to Prabhu early in May.

The Bhubaneswar airport is one of the fastest growing airports in the country, with a growth rate of 39.4 per cent in 2017-18.