Quote:Odisha Government writes to AAI for upgradation of Rourkela airport

The development comes in wake of the recent meeting between Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram with Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi.

Express News Service
Updated on:
17 Feb 2025, 9:29 pm
2 min read

ROURKELA: The Transport department has sent a proposal to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to upgrade Rourkela airport for 4C 1 CAT IFR operation.

The development comes in wake of the recent meeting between Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram with Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi.

In a letter to AAI chairman Vipin Kumar dated February 15, principal secretary to Commerce and Transport department Usha Padhee said the government of Odisha has proposed to upgrade the Rourkela airport of SAIL suitable for 4C CAT 1 IFR operation considering the growth of the city. In this regard, basic details were worked out by the Directorate of Aviation.

Padhee said it is requested to kindly design a master plan and conduct an OLS survey based on the proposed master plan. The cost involved in preparation of master plan and OLS survey would be borne by the state government.

The proposed master plan envisages expansion of the runway to 2,700 metre in length and 45 metre in width with doppler very high frequency omni range (DVOR) and CAT 1 ILS for operation of big body aircraft like Airbus 320/B737 during day and night.

AAI defines CAT 1 operation as a precision instrument approach and landing with a decision height not lower than 60 m (200 ft) and with either a visibility not less than 800 m or a runway visual range not less than 550 m. The expansion of the airport requires 278 acre of land of SAIL and 44 acre of private land.

Last Saturday, Jual had a long meeting with the CM in presence of additional chief secretary NB Dhal and principal secretaries of five departments including Revenue and Disaster Management, Industries and Transport.

In a post on X, Jual said he had a productive meeting with the CM and senior officials, focusing on development of Rourkela airport and expansion of RSP. The discussion centered on strengthening infrastructure, enhancing connectivity and accelerating regional growth.

During the two-hour-long meeting, Jual reportedly apprised the CM about the urgent need for removing land hurdles for expeditious implementation of both the key expansion plans.

For expansion of Rourkela airport, SAIL has to surrender its land to the state government. The expansion of RSP from the present 4.5 MTPA to 9.30 MTPA has been stalled as the earmarked 1,200 acre of SAIL land is under encroachment.

Quote:Commercial Scheduled Flights From Rourkela Airport Soon: BCAS DG Usha Padhee

The announcement came after a team of the Civil Aviation Ministry led by Usha Padhee visited the airstrip in Rourkela on Monday.

Following her visit, a high-level meeting was held at the airport which was attended by the CEO of Rourkela Steel Plant, representatives of various private airlines, Rourkela District Administration, Secretary of Odisha Transport Department and other senior officials of the Airport Authority of India.

After the meeting, Padhee further said that the works at the airport will be completed within 18 months.

Speaking about the decision, Odisha Transport Secretary, Madhusudan Padhi said, “The focus in the meeting was on acquiring 2C license for the Rourkela Airport within six to eight months. A short term action plan and a long term master plan to achieve the target was also discussed.”