Bhubaneswar Airport May Face Private Lease? Odisha Govt Says No Formal Proposal Yet

The political row over the proposed leasing of Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) in Bhubaneswar intensified on Monday, with the Odisha government saying it has not received any formal communication from the Centre regarding the reported move.

Odisha Transport Minister BB Jena said the Centre has plans related to the development and management of airports, but no specific proposal concerning the leasing of BPIA to a private entity has reached the state government.

Jena’s remarks came after the opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) accused the BJP-led state government of attempting to privatise the airport. The minister, however, assured that the government would not take any decision that compromises Odisha’s interests.

He also maintained that BPIA was performing well and was ahead of several other airports in the country.

BJD leader Captain Dibya Shankar Mishra strongly criticised the government, alleging that a proposal had been approved to club BPIA with Hubballi Airport in Karnataka and hand both airports over to a private entity under the public-private partnership (PPP) model.

Mishra termed the reported move “highly condemnable”, stressing that BPIA is named after legendary leader Biju Patnaik and is among the profitable airports in the country.

According to Mishra, the airport is estimated to be worth between ₹5,000 crore and ₹7,000 crore and handles around 50 lakh passengers annually. He claimed the Centre earned a profit of ₹238 crore from the airport in 2022-23, with annual profits expected to cross ₹500 crore.

The BJD leader also credited former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik with contributing significantly to the airport’s development and expansion.

Mishra warned that the people of Odisha would oppose any decision to hand BPIA to a private operator on a 50-year lease. He said the BJD would launch a strong agitation if the airport was ultimately leased to a private entity.