7 Jharkhand cities soon to be on air traffic map : Sinha

Shashank Shekhar

Ranchi ( Jharkhand) :  Seven  cities of Jharkhand  besides Ranchi will soon come on air traffic map of the country. They includes Jamshedpur,  Dhanbad, Bokaro, Deoghar, Hazaribagh, Daltonganj and Dumka. The expansion and modernization of all 7 city airports are in progress.

Giving this information at Ranchi Airport on Aptil 1, 2018, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha clarified that in the first phase air services will start at Jamshedpur, Bokaro, Dhanbad and Deoghar where modernization work of airport and runways are moving at a faster pace as they already have basic infrastructure.

Sinha informed that though the present Tata airport of Jamshedpur  is being modernized and its runway being increased for landing and take off of  small and middle size planes but another new airport  will be built  at Dhalbhumgadh (Jamshedpur)  for which clearance was given recently by Jharkhand CM Raghubar Das, who is keen to have a  big airport in the city besides the present one.

Appreciating the growing air traffic from Ranchi airport, which at present caters to the needs of 18 lakhs passengers (as per 2017—18 records) compared to 6 lakh in 2014, Sinha  informed that at present 27 flights land and takes off from Ranchi airport which was only 11 till 2014.

On being asked  whether round the clock flight including night landing services will start from Ranchi as  at Patna recently, Sinha said, ” This will take some more time.” Promising to convert Ranchi airport into  a highly modern airport in coming days, Sinha informed that 127 acre more land is being made available to Birsa Munda Ranchi airport for which land is being acquired on war footing. The present airport will have new  terminal, new car parking space  and  commercial complex to cater needs of growing passengers, he added.

“We are committed  to put all major cities of Jharkhand on air map of the country,” said Sinha.