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• The Airports Authority of India has unveiled plans to develop a number of airports in the state of Jharkhand, in a bid to promote the economic productivity of the steel region.A MoU has been signed between the AAI and the Jharkhand government for developing the current airport in Deoghar, as well as establishing new airports in its neighboring steel producing cities.At the signing, Jharkhand chief minister Mr Arjun Munda talked about how the state was also in the process of developing an airport at Jamshedpur with the help of private investors, and that a new airport at Bokaro was also in the pipeline.

• Jamshedpur is a major industrial centre of East India. It houses companies like TATA Steel, TATA Motors, TATA Power, Lafarge Cement, Telcon, BOC Gases, TATA Technologies Ltd, Praxair, TCE, TCS, and Tinplate.It is also home to one of India’s largest industrial zones known as Adityapur which houses more than 1,200 small and medium sized businesses.Mr VP Agarwal chairman of the AAI said that “The operation would start with ATR-72 aircraft initially and later on once the traffic is increased, operation of bigger aircraft would also start from these airports.”

• The state government is set to provide the land to AAI for developing the airports so that charter and regular flights could start as soon as possible.Mr Munda said that a land survey was already underway, adding that “this airport will promote air connectivity and help in promoting economy of the state.”The new airport in Deoghar will also have the capacity to handle commercial airliners such as the Airbus A320 which is not possible at the moment.The MOU also includes the development of the airport initially for ATR -72 type aircraft operations and subsequently for A-321 type of aircraft operations depending on the demand and traffic potential.The airport will be developed within two years after the land acquisition is done and the land would be given to AAI for a period of 30 years as a long-term lease for developing the airport.

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