"At Bhubaneswar airport, AAI has drawn up plans to extend the runway from 9,000 feet to 10,500 feet to facilitate the operation of Boeing 747 aircraft," AAI chairman K Ramalingam said after a meeting with Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
"For extending the runway, a piece of land measuring 75 acres is required from the state government free of cost," he said.
Ramalingam said the development of the airport would be completed by 2010 and a study had shown that no upgradation would be required for the next 20 years.
The expansion of the airport is part of AAI's plans to upgrade 35 non-metro airports across the country, Ramalingam said adding the project had been cleared by the committee on infrastructure and discussed at the prime minister's level.
"We have floated an architectural design competition to get the best design for airport development. We hope to finalise it by July 25," Ramalingam said.
A London-based global technical advisor had conducted studies for all the 35 airports, including the one in Bhubaneswar.
