Muzaffarpur Airport
Patahi Hawai Adda | |||||||||||
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Summary | |||||||||||
Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
Owner | Airports Authority of India | ||||||||||
Operator | Airports Authority of India | ||||||||||
Location | Patahi, Muzaffarpur, Bihar, India | ||||||||||
Elevation AMSL | 20 ft / 79 m | ||||||||||
Coordinates | 26°02′01″N 85°08′08″E / 26.0336395°N 85.1355189°E | ||||||||||
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Runways | |||||||||||
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Muzaffarpur Airport (IATA: MZU, ICAO: VEMZ) is located at Muzaffarpur in the state of Bihar, in India. It was to be built for the arrival of Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India. From 1967 to 1982, flights for Patna operated on a regular basis from airport based in Patahi.
Redevlopment
[edit]The Indian government has approved small aircraft operations from seven Bihar cities under the UDAN scheme, aiming to boost connectivity and economic growth. The selected cities are ¹:
- Muzaffarpur (Patahi Airport): Receives ₹25 crore for development
- Valmikinagar
- Veerpur
- Saharsa
- Munger
- Madhubani
- Purnia
To facilitate this initiative, the central government has allocated ₹190 crore for airport development, which will be undertaken by the Airports Authority of India. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) will be signed between the state government and the authority to move forward with the project.
This decision was made during a meeting chaired by the Secretary of Civil Aviation at Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan in New Delhi, with the Civil Aviation Ministry currently evaluating the 15th project proposal.[1]
2025 Bihar–AAI MoU for Regional Airport Development
[edit]An MoU was signed today at Bihar Niwas, New Delhi, between the Government of Bihar and Airports Authority of India for the development of six airports [1]
Pre Feasibility Study & Master Plan
[edit]- Feasibility of Proposal - Preliminary visual assessment indicates that operationalisation of Patahi Airport under ARC-2B and ARC-3C is technically feasible.
- Land Requirements - Operationalisation of Patahi Airport under ARC-2B will require no additional land from the State Government. However, for ARC-3C under VFR would require 228 acres of additional land, with a further 90 acres needed for upgradation to ARC-3C under IFR. This is subject to the favourable outcome of the OLS and LiDAR surveys, removal of obstacies, compliance with the observations of this report, GSR-751(E)/GSR-770(E), other statutory directives of the Government of India, NCAP-2016 of MoCA, and necessary clearances from the MoEF&CC and other relevant Ministries.
- Runway Characteristics - For ARC-2B - Runway 11/29 of 1050m x 30m having suitable PCR value at the location of existing brick runway. For ARC-3C - Runway 11/29 of 1800m x 45m having suitable PCR value at the location of runway proposed in the Master Plan document, shared with State Govt. vide AAl letter dated 24th May, 2024.
- Airspace - VFR operations at Patahi Airport appears to be feasible considering the current airspace classification and surrounding terrain conditions. The design and implementation of Instrument Flight Procedures (IFPs) appears to be technically feasible at Patahi Airport. However, an OLS survey needs to be carried out for the final assessment of feasibility of IFP.
- Site Surroundings & Site Topography - OLS survey would require to be conducted to identify existing obstacles that need to be removed, lowered, or marked to ensure safe operations and also to create a series of surfaces that define the airspace around the airport, including approach and departure surfaces, transitional surfaces, and horizontal surfaces. [2]
Master Plan for Muzaffarpur
[edit]In Phase 1, the airport will support 19-seater aircraft operations and serve as a base for Flying Training Organisations (FTOs).[3]

See also
[edit]- Jay Prakash Narayan International Airport
- Darbhanga Airport
- Gaya Airport
- Purnea Airport
- Raxaul Airport
References
[edit]