The Union Government is likely to finalise a location for a new airport soon as the State Government has already offered three sites for the purpose.
The three sites have been identified in Khordha district for the proposed airfield, which would cater to air traffic beyond 2040 as the present airport is not sufficient to handle the growing traffic.
The Union Government had asked for a patch of 64 acres of land adjacent to the present Biju Patnaik International Airport here. But later, the Centre shifted the proposal to outside the city as such a huge patch of land was not available by.
Accordingly, the Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Idco) identified three sites, which have been visited by a multi-disciplinary team of the Airport Authority of India (AAI).
After conducting pre-feasibility study, the team held discussions with senior AAI officials and submitted a detailed report to the Union Government on their findings.
The team also sent a copy of the report to the Idco on their observations, said an official.
There will be two parallel runways with a length of over 3,800 meters and requirement of land is 2,900 acres.
The first site, about 40 km from Bhubaneswar, is of 3,733 acres and covers several villages,including Malipada, and a number of hillocks. Thus, it seems not very much suitable for the airfield.
The second site, a patch of 1,360 acres, at Aranga village is about 34 km from Bhubaneswar and 3 km from the National Highway.
This is a much better site as the area is almost plain and there is little vegetation, which offers better scope for the airfield, said some sources.
The third identified site at Badasahi is around 30 km from the capital city and connected with National Highway. The site is almost plain and approximately 1,530 acres of land is available.
Out of these three options, AAI will have to pick up one of the sites for the proposed Greenfield Airfield, said an official.
Experts said that site with less obstruction and having plain area would be preferred for the proposed airport. Hence, the second site at Aranga looks the most suitable, said officials.
