Parliament Question: International Flight Service from Patna Airport

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. : 3400 ( TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 12th March 2026 ) INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT SERVICE FROM PATNA AIRPORT

3400. SHRI SUDHAKAR SINGH Will the Minister of CIVIL AVIATION

be pleased to state:-

(a) whether it is a fact that in the absence of direct international flight connectivity from Bihar, particularly from Patna airport, to Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar, passengers from Bihar are presently required to travel via New Delhi or Kolkata, thereby facing additional time, cost and inconvenience and if so, the details thereof;

(b) whether the Government is aware that a large number of people from Bihar regularly travel to these Gulf countries for employment, business, education and religious purposes, resulting in substantial passenger traffic on these routes and if so, the details thereof;

(c) whether there is any proposal under consideration to encourage airlines to operate direct flights from Patna to Gulf destinations or to allocate slots under Bilateral Air Services Agreements in this regard; and

(d) if so, the current status thereof along with the expected timeline fixed for the commencement of such services and if not, the reasons therefor? ANSWER Minister of State in the Ministry of CIVIL AVIATION (Shri Murlidhar Mohol)

(a) to (d): Currently, there is no direct international flight from Bihar to the Gulf countries. However, airports in Bihar including Patna are well connected to major Indian airports such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata for providing onward connectivity to Gulf countries.

The government has provided an enabling environment for the growth of civil aviation sector. However, the start of international flights from any point in India is purely a commercial decision of the airlines on the basis of the economic viability of the route and other associated factors.

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