PATNA: Jayaprakash Narayan International (JPNI) Airport in Patna has got more space for passengers after the inauguration of an extended security hold area (SHA) there on Tuesday.The newly constructed extended SHA on the ground floor and a fifth boarding gate on the first floor was inaugurated by principal secretary (health) Sanjay Kumar. “Now, passengers will not be bothered about space. I’m glad that the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has started taking steps to decongest the terminal building. The new facilities will ease the rush of flyers till the extension of the terminal building,” he said.Airport director Rajender Singh Lahauria said the extended SHA would accommodate around 400 flyers. “The new boarding gate will also minimize the long queues of flyers,” he said. Earlier, the SHA had the capacity to accommodate 500 flyers, including 200 on the first floor.Apart from that, the airport has started a new route for two and three-wheelers towards eastern side to ease traffic congestion.Lahauria said the changes have been made to ensure passengers’ comfort. “There is heavy rush during winter season and flyers are forced to stand due to little space. Flight delays due to foggy conditions cause further inconvenience to the flyers in this season,” he said.According to recent AAI data, Patna was the third fastest growing airport in India in 2018 with 47.3% growth in passenger flow.

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