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Time of India
11-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
‘Illegal' market complex along flight path yet to be razed: Officials
Bhubaneswar: An unauthorised two-storey market complex in Jagamara, which falls along the approach path of flights at Biju Patnaik International Airport, is yet to be demolished despite repeated reminders to the civic authorities, BPIA officials said. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Tall trees around the area are also posing as obstructions during aircraft landing. Officials said getting a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the airport authorities is mandatory to get approval of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation for any construction. But in the case of the complex, no NOC was obtained, they said. "We flagged our concerns several times before the city authorities. They have so far cut three coconut trees. But the two-storey building is completely illegal," said airport director Prasanna Pradhan. He further said the airport is not empowered to serve notice and order demolition as per existing rules, and it is the mandate of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA), and in some cases, the general administration department. "The Centre issued draft rules to regulate and remove obstructions such as buildings and trees that interfere with aircraft. The draft Aircraft (Demolition of Obstructions Caused by Buildings and Trees, etc.) Rules, 2025, were released under the Bharatiya Vayuyan Adhiniyam, 2024. It was in the public domain for 21 days for feedback. It is likely to be passed in Parliament very soon, after which airport authorities will be empowered to remove obstructions. This will reduce the cumbersome process of moving multiple agencies," Pradhan added. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The Airport Environment Management Committee (AEMC) pointed out the obstructions and safety issues. The BMC commissioner chairs the AEMC meeting. BPIA authorities recently surveyed the area jointly with officials of BMC, BDA, general administration department, and police. "There should not be any infringement on the approach light and obstacle-free zone (OFZ) of the airport," an airport official said. "After cutting the coconut trees, other tall trees along the airport's approach path will be felled," said BMC commissioner Rajesh Patil. "We are taking steps to remove more obstructions. The building owners will also be served a notice," he added. During landing and takeoff, birds flutter from trees as high as to hit an aircraft nose, fuselage, windshield and engine, which can pose potential danger to flights and may end in a crash, airport officials said.
Time of India
06-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Proposed T3 terminal at city airport to have arrival & departure facilities
Bhubaneswar: Authorities of Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) here have dropped the plan of segregated arrival and departure in two terminals (T1 & T3) and have decided to redesign the proposed T3 terminal into a standalone integrated facility. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now T-3 will be built over a 65,000 sqm area and will be able to handle 86 lakh flyers annually and 3,000 in an hour during peak time. An integrated terminal has departure and arrival facilities in one building. "In a meeting with stakeholders, we decided that it (T3) will be designed to handle both arrivals and departures. Segregation would have brought difficulties in handling passengers and other operations at both lounges," said BPIA director Prasanna Pradhan. "There is land available for the project in the operational area and close to the T1 building. There are altogether 18 aprons for aircraft to enter bays, but after the T3 is built, six more aerobridges will be required," he added. Officials privy to the development said the cost estimate for the project could touch Rs 1,000 crore. "The project estimate has been done. Now it needs to be passed to the board to start the project," an official said. The city airport had only one terminal before 2013, with the old domestic terminal converted into the international terminal (T2). In March 2013, a new state-of-the-art domestic terminal was constructed at a cost of Rs 145 crore on a modular pattern to allow further expansion. It can handle around 1,000 flyers at a time. Officials said that considering the air traffic, passenger comfort and commercial activities, the design of the new terminal will be finalised. Currently, the airport witnesses a daily footfall of more than 15,000. Five domestic destinations — Patna, Lucknow, Kochi, Jaipur, Dehradun and Indore — were recently added. Other cities directly connected with Bhubaneswar are Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Pune, Mumbai, Ranchi, Allahabad, Hyderabad, Raipur, Varanasi and Ahmedabad.
Time of India
30-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Capital airport conducts mock drill
Bhubaneswar: Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) on Monday conducted a comprehensive full-scale emergency exercise, demonstrating its preparedness in handling major aviation incidents. The drill, held in the aftermath of the Ahmedabad air crash that killed 260, including 241 flyers, simulated a critical emergency scenario involving an A321 commercial aircraft with 222 passengers. Airport officials said the exercise depicted an aircraft reporting an engine fire warning before crash-landing within the airport premises, resulting in multiple fire locations and casualties scattered across a 500-metre radius. "The simulation tested the airport's emergency response capabilities and multi-agency coordination. Over 200 personnel from 11 various agencies participated in the drill, including Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF), Odisha Fire Service, CISF, State Police, NDRF, airlines, and medical services. The exercise featured realistic elements such as crash fire tenders, ambulances, and volunteer 'victims' on stretchers, with temporary medical facilities enhancing the training's authenticity," airport director Prasanna Pradhan said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Perdagangkan CFD Emas dengan Broker Tepercaya IC Markets Mendaftar Undo Emphasising the importance of such exercises, Pradhan said, "Today's exercise demonstrated the strength of our partnerships and the high level of readiness across all emergency response teams." Representatives from regulatory agencies and aviation safety organisations were present to evaluate the drill and provide feedback for future improvements. The exercise highlighted the airport's commitment to passenger and staff safety while testing the effectiveness of its Airport Emergency Plan (AEP). "Lessons learned and observations from the drill will be incorporated into the airport's emergency response protocols to enhance future preparedness," Pradhan added. Similar exercise was carried out at Veer Surendra Sai Airport, Jharsuguda. The drill was part of the periodic testing of the AEP and was aimed to assess the airport's preparedness and inter-agency coordination in responding to a major aircraft accident scenario within the aerodrome vicinity. The drill simulated the crash of a commercial aircraft carrying 80 passengers and 4 crew members just before landing. The emergency scenario was triggered through a mock distress call received by the Air Traffic Control, activating a swift response from airport fire services and support agencies.
Time of India
24-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
Post-AI crash, pilots grounding flights over minor glitches: Experts
Bhubaneswar: Following the June 12 Air India (AI) crash in Ahmedabad, pilots are now grounding planes at the slightest hint of technical error, say aviation experts. Even a minor blink in the altimeter prompts a pilot to seek engineering help, and the flight is grounded. Experts say that unless the pilot feels safe, he or she can ground the flight and bring it back to the bay. But they also feel that too much caution may not be good. Recently, a bird hit on the side of the aircraft engine of a Bhubaneswar-Kolkata flight delayed take-off at Biju Patnaik International Airport, with passengers being shifted to another aircraft. In another case, the pilot of a Bhubaneswar-Delhi Air India flight declined to take-off as an altimeter blinked, leading him to seek engineering assistance. You Can Also Check: Bhubaneswar AQI | Weather in Bhubaneswar | Bank Holidays in Bhubaneswar | Public Holidays in Bhubaneswar "Safety is extremely important, and all rulebooks should be followed. However, there are minor incidents that may be inconsequential. Things will settle down in a month or two. The Ahmedabad incident is still fresh," airport director Prasanna Pradhan pointed out. Former Air India captain Manmath Routray said pilots follow the Master Equipment List (MEL) before taking off, and unless that is ensured, safety is not guaranteed. "By now, if not detailed, preliminary reasons behind the Ahmedabad crash should have come out. This will help boost the morale of pilots and help subside apprehension. Now, pilots seem to be experiencing some nerves during take-off," Routray told TOI.
Time of India
23-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
Coconut trees felled on Bhubaneswar airport's flight path
1 2 Bhubaneswar: The coconut trees that had posed as an obstruction to a plane's approach at Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) have been finally felled by Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC). The three coconut trees were cut down days after TOI had flagged the issue in the aftermath of the Air India aircraft crash in Ahmedabad, highlighting the fact that unauthorised structures and coconut trees of Nilakantheswar Temple could pose a threat to flights landing towards the Jagamara-Khandagiri end of the runway. For several months, BPIA had sought the BMC's help in cutting down the trees. "The coconut trees were cut by BMC's enforcement squad, but there are still banyan trees and an unauthorised market building. I hope the civic authorities will take up the matter seriously and carry out enforcement," BPIA director Prasanna Pradhan said. Kajal Pradhan, BMC deputy commissioner, admitted that some trees are still to be cut. "We have taken note of all the trees that can cause obstruction. We will cut them as well and prune some located at a distance," she told TOI. On June 14, BPIA had once again urged the BMC to cut the coconut trees. As per the BPIA missive, birds perched on the trees would at times fly onto the path of the aircraft and hit its nose, fuselage, windshield and engine during landing and take-off. This posed a potential threat to the aircraft and passenger safety, airport officials said. Earlier, BPIA officials said they were not able to implement the instrument landing system (ILS) CAT-II on the runway because the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had put the approval on hold owing to the obstructions. "Even before the trees were cut, we had made some alternative technical arrangements for the workability of the CAT-II facility. But it is good that the coconut trees have been finally removed," Pradhan said. BPIA authorities had recently surveyed the area along with officials of BMC, Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA), general administration department and police. BPIA sources said several shops and electric poles also lie close to the approach line of runway-14, which infringe on the approach light and obstacle-free zone (OFZ) of the airport. Bhubaneswar: The coconut trees that had posed as an obstruction to a plane's approach at Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) have been finally felled by Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC). The three coconut trees were cut down days after TOI had flagged the issue in the aftermath of the Air India aircraft crash in Ahmedabad, highlighting the fact that unauthorised structures and coconut trees of Nilakantheswar Temple could pose a threat to flights landing towards the Jagamara-Khandagiri end of the runway. For several months, BPIA had sought the BMC's help in cutting down the trees. "The coconut trees were cut by BMC's enforcement squad, but there are still banyan trees and an unauthorised market building. I hope the civic authorities will take up the matter seriously and carry out enforcement," BPIA director Prasanna Pradhan said. Kajal Pradhan, BMC deputy commissioner, admitted that some trees are still to be cut. "We have taken note of all the trees that can cause obstruction. We will cut them as well and prune some located at a distance," she told TOI. On June 14, BPIA had once again urged the BMC to cut the coconut trees. As per the BPIA missive, birds perched on the trees would at times fly onto the path of the aircraft and hit its nose, fuselage, windshield and engine during landing and take-off. This posed a potential threat to the aircraft and passenger safety, airport officials said. Earlier, BPIA officials said they were not able to implement the instrument landing system (ILS) CAT-II on the runway because the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had put the approval on hold owing to the obstructions. "Even before the trees were cut, we had made some alternative technical arrangements for the workability of the CAT-II facility. But it is good that the coconut trees have been finally removed," Pradhan said. BPIA authorities had recently surveyed the area along with officials of BMC, Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA), general administration department and police. BPIA sources said several shops and electric poles also lie close to the approach line of runway-14, which infringe on the approach light and obstacle-free zone (OFZ) of the airport.
