PATNA: The number of flights at Jayaprakash Narayan International Airport is likely to be reduced next month in view of foggy conditions likely to prevail in the coming weeks.
Airports Authority India (AAI) officials at Patna, after a meeting with city airport director Bhupesh CH Negi, other stakeholders, airlines executives and the officials of local weather office on Monday, requested the airlines to withdraw some of the flights in view of prediction of shallow foggy conditions in the city during the morning and night time in the coming weeks. The revised winter schedule would be released next month.
“Operating late night and early flights would not be possible in December,” said an AAI (Patna) official, adding that another meeting would be held next week.
Patna airport is presently operating 50 flights per day, including 20 of IndiGo, 16 of SpiceJet, eight of GoAir, four of Air India and two of Vistara.
The airport is working on the extension of approach light up to 720m from present 420m on the eastern side of the runway. But it is likely to be ready by next winter. The AAI team would visit the airport on Tuesday to see the areas where the lights will be installed.
The Airport Environment Management Committee (AEMC) will also hold its meeting next week to see the preparedness of Patna airport to tackle the flow of passengers in winter by following the safety protocols amid Covid-19 pandemic.
AEMC chairperson and Patna divisional commissioner Sanjay Kumar Agarwal said it is important to ensure that social distancing norms should be maintained on the airport premises owing to rise in passenger flow. “Discussion would also be held about the preparedness of various stakeholders to ensure less inconvenience caused to the passengers in case of delays in flight operations owing to foggy conditions,” he said.