Consensus reached on expansion ofrunway at Patna, two other airports

Patna: JD(U) national working president and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Kumar Jha on Tuesday said consensus had been reached on expansion of runways at Patna, Gaya and Darbhanga airports following a meeting with civil aviation minister K Ram Mohan Naidu and senior officials in New Delhi.Jha, who is also chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on transport, tourism and culture, said the discussions were held as a follow-up to CM Samrat Choudhary’s recent review meeting on aviation infrastructure in Bihar.According to Jha, the civil aviation ministry agreed in principle to extend Patna airport’s runway by 300 metres and install a simple approach lighting system to improve operational safety and capacity. For the project, around 49 acres of land has been sought from the state govt.The ministry also agreed to runway expansion at Gaya airport with additional land to be provided by the state govt.On Darbhanga airport, Jha said consensus had been reached on developing it into an international airport. He said the process of acquiring 90 acres of land for extending the runway to 12,000 feet and installing a modern lighting system had been completed and the land would be handed over to the Airports Authority of India within two weeks.“Consensus was also reached on holding a meeting with the defence ministry in this regard. I am confident that the launch of international flight services from Darbhanga will usher in a new era of development in Mithila and the entire north Bihar,” Jha said.Civil aviation minister Naidu also discussed plans to connect Rajgir and the Buddhist circuit under the revised UDAN scheme through new helipads and regional aviation services.Jha said the preliminary feasibility report for the proposed airport at Sultanganj had returned positive, opening fresh possibilities for development in Bhagalpur and nearby regions.He added that tender-related processes for operating small aircraft from Birpur, Valmiki Nagar, Saharsa and Muzaffarpur airports are expected to begin by June 2026.Jha described Darbhanga and Purnia airports as success stories under the UDAN scheme and said tenders for a permanent terminal building at Purnia airport would be issued soon.