Veer Surendra Sai Airport

Bira Surendra Sai Airport (IATA: JRG, ICAO: VEJH), (ଝାରସୁଗୁଡ଼ା ବୀର ସୁରେନ୍ଦ୍ର ସାଏ ବିମାନ ବନ୍ଦର) also known as Jharsuguda Airport, is a domestic airport serving Jharsuguda, Odisha, India. The airport is located 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) north-east from the city centre.^[4] The airport is located in Durlaga village, approximately 8.5 km (5.3 mi) from Jharsuguda Junction Railway Station . The airport is named after the revolutionary Bira Surendra Sai and it is the second commercial airport in the state of Odisha.^[5] The airport caters to areas like districts of Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Sundergarh, Bargarh, Debagarh, Bolangir, Subarnapur, Boudh of Orissa and Raigarh, Korba, Surguja, Jashpur districts of Chhattisgarh.

Bira Surendra Sai Airport
IATA: JRG ICAO: VEJH
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	Airports Authority of India
Serves	Western Odisha & parts of North Chhattisgarh
Location	Durlaga, Jharsuguda, Odisha, India
Opened	22 September 2018; 6 years ago (2018-09-22)
Elevation AMSL	757 ft / 231 m
Coordinates	21°54′48″N 84°03′01″E
Website	Jharsuguda Airport
Map
JRG Location of airport in Odisha Show map of Odisha JRG JRG (India) Show map of India
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 06/24 7,844 2,391 Concrete
Statistics (April 2023 – March 2024)
Passengers 234,331 ( 0.8%) Aircraft movements 2,971 ( 18.4%) Cargo tonnage 95 ( 72.3%)
Source: AAI[1][2][3]

History

The researcher points out that in the last two years of World War II, the allied forces had anticipated a Japanese onslaught from the North-East and a string of airfields were made in the region. These included the airfields at Jharsuguda, Amarda Road, Charbatia, Hijli, Dudhkundi, Digri, Salua, Chakulia, Kalaikunda and Bishnupur.^[6] After India gained Independence from the British, the airfield was abandoned.

In July 2013, the Government of Odisha sanctioned ₹50 crores to kick-start the ₹ 175-crore airport development project which was to be jointly executed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the state government.^[7] On 30 July 2014, Odisha government signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Airports Authority of India for the mentioned.^[8]

In August 2018, the airport received a 4C category licence from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), making Jharsuguda the second commercial airport in Odisha after Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar.^[9] The airport is eligible to land A-320 type Airbus aircraft.^[10]

On 22 September 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the airport, in the presence of Odisha Governor Ganeshi Lal, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, former Union Minister of Civil Aviation Suresh Prabhu and former Bargarh Lok Sabha Member Prabhas Singh.^[11]

Facilities

Terminal

Inaugurated in September 2018, the passenger terminal is built over an area of 5,500 square metres (59,000 sq ft) with a modular design for handling 150 arriving and 150 departing passengers at a time with a scope for future expansion. The runway can land Airbus A321 and Boeing 767 aircraft.^[12]

The airport was renamed after freedom fighter Veer Surendra Sai by the cabinet on 1 November 2018.^[13][14][15] The interiors of the terminal building depict local handcraft such as world-famous Sambalpuri sari, Sambalpuri dance, artwork and tourist destinations of Odisha.^[16]

Airlines and destinations

Airlines	Destinations
Alliance Air	Bhubaneswar
IndiGo	Bangalore, Kolkata, Delhi[17]

References

1. "Annexure III – Passenger Data" (PDF). aai.aero. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
2. "Annexure II – Aircraft Movement Data" (PDF). aai.aero. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
3. "Annexure IV – Freight Movement Data" (PDF). aai.aero. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
4. "Information about Jharsuguda Airport – World airport database".
5. "SpiceJet started flights to Jharsuguda from Delhi, Hyderabad and Kolkata On March 31,2019". Times of India. 27 February 2019. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
6. "World war airstrip to see action again". The Asian Age. 7 July 2013. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
7. "Government sanctions Rs 50 crore for Jharsuguda". The Times of India. 22 July 2013. Archived from the original on 28 July 2013. Retrieved 27 July 2013.
8. "Odisha signs MoU with AAI for second airport at Jharsuguda". The Economic Times. 30 July 2014. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
9. "J'suguda Airport fit for 320 Airbus flight". The Pioneer. 2 August 2018. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
10. "Jharsuguda Airport to Usher in Economic Development". The Indian Express. 9 July 2018. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
11. "PM Modi inaugurates new airport in Odisha's Jharsuguda".
12. "Government sanctions Rs 50 crore for Jharsuguda - Times Of India". 28 July 2013. Archived from the original on 28 July 2013. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
13. "Cabinet clears renaming Jharsuguda aerodrome as Veer Surendra Sai airport".
14. "Jharsuguda airport renamed after Odisha freedom fighter Veer Surendra Sai".
15. "J'suguda airport to have night landing facility".
16. "Jharsuguda airport inauguration by PM Modi: Sneak-peek into Odisha's second airport – a big boost!".
17. "IndiGo announces daily direct flight from Jharsuguda to New Delhi from May 15". Odisha Bytes. 15 April 2024. Retrieved 15 April 2024.

External links