Flight operations at the upcoming airport in Deoghar is expected to commence from the first week of November, Union civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri said after conducting a review of preparations at the temple town on Saturday.

BJP’s MP from Godda Nishikant Dubey along with a battery of officials from Airport Authority of India (AAI), Ranchi airport and Deoghar district administration were present during the review which began after Puri’s arrival at 11.30am.

Once ready, Deoghar will be Jharkhand’s second airport after Ranchi’s Birsa Munda international terminal and is expected to boost regional connectivity and promote tourism.

A view of the runway at Deoghar airport. Telegraph picture

Talking to reporters in Deoghar, Puri said, “Covid-19 has slightly delayed the airport development work here (Deoghar) but things are still pretty much on track. We are now planning to commence flight operations from the first week of November.”

He said they would be holding a meeting with all stakeholders in Delhi to chalk out the modalities after which a final date for the commencement of air services would be announced.

The minister, who conducted a similar review in Bihar earlier in the day, said that operations at Darbhanga airport would begin in November before Chhath Puja. "Bookings for daily flights will start by the end of September from Darbhanga to Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru," Puri was quoted as saying in a statement by the civil aviation ministry, PTI reported.

A section of the Deoghar airport where work is on. Telegraph picture

The minister said he was satisfied with the progress of the project in Deoghar, Jharkhand, and thanked all those involved for having continued the work despite the ongoing pandemic.

He also revealed plans to set up an “aerocity”, a kind of economic zone, in partnership with AAI and the state government to boost local employment around the airport area.

“An aerocity plan is being chalked out and it will be set up gradually as a joint venture between GOI, AAI and state government to boost local jobs,” said Puri, adding that once the airport takes off, it would further strengthen Deoghar’s place _ it is home to one of the 12 jyotirlingas _ as a hub of religious tourism.

“Currently, rail and road journeys are the only options for thousands who come to Deoghar annually for Lord Shiva’s darshan. Once air services begin, the footfall will multiply not just from within the country from across the globe, which will turnaround the local economy,” he said.

The foundation stone of the Rs 401.34-crore Deoghar airport was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 25, 2018. It is being developed by the Airports Authority of India in collaboration with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Jharkhand government.

The airport is spread over 653.75 acre and its terminal building is being built over an area of 4,000sqm, while the runway is 2,500 metre long. With an environment-friendly architectural design and state-of-the-art passenger facilities, the terminal building will be a composite structure inspired by the shikhars (rising towers) of the Baba Baidyanath temple.

Once ready, the airport will be suitable for operation of Airbus A-320 type of aircraft. An airport official said that more than 90 per cent of the construction work was complete. This includes the terminal building with six check-in counters, ATC tower, fire station, power station, airport station, among others. Currently, work related to drainage systems, power, communication facilities and police posts is underway.