Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu virtually inaugurated three facilities at Raja Bhoj Airport on Sunday, including the domestic arrival hall, an upgraded fire station and Digi Yatra.
He inaugurated the facilities from Rajkot. Bhopal Mayor Malti Rai and MLA Rameshwar Sharma were present on the occasion and inaugurated the domestic arrival hall in Bhopal.
Airport Director Ramji Awasthi said with the commencement of domestic arrivals on the ground floor, the upper floor will now be used for departures. The additional space on the upper floor will also be utilised for international arrivals and future expansion.
He said, “With the commencement of domestic arrivals, the airport now has a two-level system like metro airports. Earlier, arrivals and departures operated from the same floor, leading to congestion. Passenger handling capacity has increased from 1,182 passengers per hour to 2,600.”
He added that the domestic arrival hall is equipped with two baggage belt conveyor systems and is connected to aerobridge facilities.
Awasthi said the fire station has been upgraded from Category 7 to Category 9 in line with operations of larger aircraft such as Boeing 777. The airport currently handles 36 scheduled flights and 82 non-scheduled flights.
He said Digi Yatra was earlier in pilot mode, during which around 1.5 lakh passengers used the facility. It has now been formally inaugurated. He added that Raja Bhoj Airport is expected to have its own radar by winter.
