Parliament Question: Development of Bhagalpur Airport

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. : 65 ( TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 23rd July 2026 ) DEVELOPMENT OF BHAGALPUR AIRPORT 65. SHRI AJAY KUMAR MANDAL Will the Minister of CIVIL AVIATION be pleased to state:- (a) the present status of expansion of the airstrip and the technical survey of the runway for operation of commercial flights using ATR-72 aircraft at Bhagalpur Airport; (b) whether the Union Government has held any formal correspondence with the State Government of Bihar regarding acquisition of additional land and provision of financial allocation for Bhagalpur Airport and if so, the details thereof; (c) whether the Government proposes to include Bhagalpur Airport under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS)-UDAN to facilitate commencement of direct flight services to major cities such as Delhi, Kolkata and Patna; and (d) if so, the details thereof along with the timeline fixed by the Government to execute the said project? ANSWER Minister of CIVIL AVIATION (Shri Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu) (a) to (d): A statement is laid on the Table of the House. ******STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (A) TO (D) IN RESPECT OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 65 FOR ANSWER ON 23.07.2026 REGARDING "DEVELOPMENT OF BHAGALPUR AIRPORT" ASKED BY SHRI AJAY KUMAR MANDAL. (a) & (b): On the request of the State Government of Bihar, a feasibility study for the development of the existing Bhagalpur airstrip was carried out by a multi-disciplinary team of the Airports Authority of India in April 2026. The report of the study has been submitted to the State Government. (c) & (d): The Government has recently launched the next phase of the UDAN Scheme on 04.07.2026, to enhance regional air connectivity across the country, targeting 120 new unserved and underserved destinations and facilitating travel for 4 crore passengers over the next 10 years. The Scheme provides a Challenge Mode framework under which State Governments may nominate airstrips for development. Proposals are evaluated based on land availability, infrastructure readiness, technical and operational feasibility, traffic potential, statutory clearances, and State Government support. ******