If you are going to board flights from the Birsa Munda Airport in Ranchi, don’t forget mosquito repellents, a frequent flier has advised.

Swarms of mosquitoes at Birsa Munda Airport in the capital’s Hinoo area, posing a threat to fliers and visitors, came to the fore after this frequent flier from Ranchi lodged a complaint online with Airports Authority of India (AAI) on Wednesday.

Manoj Kumar, 41, a resident of Sai Vihar Colony in Ratu Road, Ranchi, who owns an educational institution, said he complained because he was “horrified” at the number of mosquitoes everywhere.

“This morning (Wednesday) I had gone to board an Air India flight to Bhubaneswar and had to spend time in the terminal building as my flight timings were rescheduled from 7.40am to 8.05am,” Kumar said over phone. “I was greeted with a swarm of mosquitoes in the washroom. Interaction with other fliers revealed there were mosquitoes in the children’s play area and lounge. I learnt that the problem had become acute in the past one week,” he added.

He said he wanted to write a complaint at the airport itself but was not allowed to go to the complaint counter at entrance gate as his security check was done. “I had to board my flight and file a complaint online on www.aai.aero after reaching Bhubaneswar airport,” he said.

Ranchi airport joint general manager and ATC in-charge Gopal Krishnan refused to admit the seriousness of the airport mosquito menace. “We have recently given a tender to a private agency for fogging and spraying of larvicides at the airport. The exercise is done after flight hours late in the evening. I cannot say about the frequency of the exercise but it is done regularly to get rid of mosquitoes,” Krishnan said.

On Tuesday, The Telegraph carried a report (Ranchi vector menace now alarming) where RMC assistant medical officer Kiran Kumari insisted fogging in the capital was done according to a roster but at least three councillors refuted her claim.

Birsa Munda Airport, sprawling across 1,568 acres, has seen a surge in flyers in the last few years. According to transport department data, it handled 6 lakh fliers in 2014-15, 10 lakh in 2015-16, 13 lakh in 2016-17 and 16 lakh in 2017-18. The number of fliers projected for 2018-19 is 22 lakh.

In 2014, there were only 11 flights carrying annually 6 lakh passengers. The number of flights increased to 30 in 2018.

The Ranchi airport apron currently can park three Airbus (A-320) and two 19-seater ATR planes. The new apron is ready and awaiting AAI’s nod which will make it possible for four Airbus and one ATR plan to be parked at a time, taking the total count to 10, seven Airbus and three ATR planes.