AAI 'fixes' design flaw at new airport terminal

In a last-minute manoeuvre, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has been able to temporarily tide over an architectural design flaw in the newly constructed terminal building of the Jayprakash Narayan International (JPNI) airport here, by removing a partition, separating the international and domestic departure lounge, to provide passengers access to the staircase in the security hold area (SHA), before Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates it on May 29, said people aware of the matter on Monday.

- Ruchir Kumar

PATNA:

Unlike most airports in India, the new terminal building of Patna airport does not have staircase alongside escalators to connect the three levels of the building through the SHA.

The design flaw was detected recently at inspection stage, when final clearances through the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) were in process. The matter was urgently flagged with Sikka Associate Architects (SAA), New Delhi, responsible for its architectural design, said a senior functionary requesting anonymity. Two revised design plans were sent to accommodate a staircase in the domestic SHA from the exterior side of the building, said the official.