Bhubaneswar: The laying of runway of Malkangiri airport has been completed and it is ready to be operational soon. The authorities of the airport are giving it the finishing touch and trying to make a trial landing of an aircraft as soon as the final nod is given by the Union civil aviation ministry, sources said.
As per reports, almost all the works relating to the runway have been finished. The remaining work will be completed within a week’s time. The Odisha government has set a target to operationalise the airport this month.
Presently, the Malkangiri airfield is being developed as a 2B category airport. It has been built on 74 acres of government land, 126 acres of private land and 33 acres of forest land.
The airport has been developed at an estimated cost of Rs 29 crore. It will soon be included under the UDA scheme by the Centre.
Jeypore town in Koraput has another airport 100 km away from Malkangiri.
After Bhubaneswar, Jharsuguda, Rourkela, Bhawanipatna and Jeypore, Malkangiri will become the sixth airport in Odisha.
Efforts have begun to upgrade the facilities of the Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) runway to CAT-II which allows landing in a visibility of 500 mts. It will help aircrafts land even during foggy and rainy conditions.
