BPIA old ATC tower to be demolished, bldg below to be used as VVIP lounge

Bhubaneswar: The old air traffic control (ATC) tower at Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) will be demolished soon, and the building beneath it will be used for a VVIP lounge to handle exclusive passage during entry and exit. At present, the chief minister and other VVIPs, except the PM and President, have exit and entry through the normal passenger lounge.“A decision has been taken to demolish the old ATC tower. The new and old ATC towers are now running parallel until the new one gains full operational capability independently. Now, the old ATC is not required. It will be decommissioned,” said BPIA director Prasanna Pradhan.BPIA officials said turning the connecting building of the old ATC into a VVIP lounge will ensure better security management for chief ministers and other ministers. “Although there are futuristic plans to use the space of the particular building for creating more aprons, at present a VVIP lounge is required,” officials said.Parallel operation of the ATC was required to ensure that operations become flawless and seamless. After the trial run was complete, the new tower became fully functional independently, airport sources said. The 11-storey new ATC tower became functional after the nod from the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). In view of all these challenges, the new ATC is a necessity in terms of meeting the increasing requirements, Pradhan said.The old ATC didn’t have a 360-degree view, as a result of which, beyond a certain direction, the technical people manning the ATC couldn’t get a view of the incoming and outgoing aircraft. “The airport required an Airport Surface Movement Guidance and Control System (ASMGCS), which couldn’t be installed in the old ATC because of space constraints,” Pradhan added.Airport officials said at present, there are 60 departures and an equal number of arrivals at the BPIA, with it witnessing a daily footfall of more than 15,000 passengers. The new tower is 44.2 metres high, almost double the height of the old tower, which is 23.46 metres high. It is one of the tallest landmarks of the capital city, officials said.