Construction work on Patahi Airport in Muzaffarpur has gathered pace, with work on the terminal building, boundary wall and runway recarpeting progressing simultaneously. The project aims to restart air services from Muzaffarpur with small aircraft under the Centre’s regional connectivity programme UDAN.
Civil Aviation Secretary Nilesh Ramchandra Deore said work started in July and has a 10-month completion deadline, though efforts are being made to finish earlier, as was achieved at Purnea Airport, where work was completed in a record four months.
A Kanpur-based construction agency has started piling work and construction of pillars for the terminal building. Sand and gravel have been stocked at the site, while roofing material for the prefabricated steel-structure terminal has been ordered from Sasaram. Runway recarpeting has also begun, with the existing 1,300-metre runway being upgraded along with the Runway End Safety Area to meet Code 2B standards, replacing the old brick-paved surface with asphalt and concrete.
The airport complex spans around 106 acres and will feature a modern prefabricated steel terminal building, taxiway, parking bays, apron, ATC tower, operations building, fire station and an aviation training centre. Work orders for the terminal, associated buildings and airside infrastructure together cover projects worth nearly Rs 59 crore.
Patahi Airport had earlier handled flights to Patna before commercial services were discontinued decades ago. The ongoing development is expected to enable smaller aircraft to operate from Muzaffarpur once the required infrastructure is completed.
