The Odisha government has appointed consultant for airport expansion project in the state, targeting Code 3C commercial operation licences.
The state government has selected RITES Ltd as consultant for preparation of Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for the expansion of Rourkela, Jeypore (Koraput), and Amarda Road (Mayurbhanj) airports in the state. RITES Ltd will prepare the DPRs for the three airports, which will cost Rs 1.10 crore excluding GST. The upgradation is being carried out looking at the passenger demands for these airports. However, cancellations persist due to the lack of Instrument Landing System (ILS) and night landing facilities at some airports. These systems are likely to be upgraded in these airports.
Notably, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has operated the Rourkela airport of SAIL under an MoU for three years, with SAIL annually covering around Rs 4 crore in operation costs. The AAI spent approximately Rs 28 crore until December 2022 for upgrading the airport to Code 2C, with plans for further expansion to Code 3C temporarily on hold.
