Bathinda Airport

Bathinda Airport Bhisiana Air Force Station
IATA: BUP – ICAO: VBAT
Summary
Airport type	Civil Enclave
Owner	Indian Air Force
Operator	Airports Authority of India
Location	Bathinda, Punjab, India
Elevation AMSL	662 ft / 201 m
Coordinates	30°16′12″N 74°45′20″E / 30.27000°N 74.75556°E / 30.27000; 74.75556
Map
BUP Location in India
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 13/31 9,200 2,804 Concrete/Asphalt

Bathinda Airport (IATA: BUP, ICAO: VIBT) is a civil enclave at the Bhisiana Air Force Station of the Indian Air Force. The domestic air terminal is being built near Virk Kalan village, 20 kilometres northwest of Bhatinda, Punjab, India.

The Airports Authority of India has constructed the Bathinda civil enclave at a cost of Rs 25 crore on 42 acres of land. The apron will accommodate two ATR 42 type of aircraft simultaneously while the glass and steel terminal building will feature a VIP lounge, two check-in counters, a 30-seater security hold and two conveyor belts. A parking lot for 25 cars is also being constructed.^[1]

Even after its completion since August, 2012, the Bathinda Civil Airport, one of the much- hyped projects, has remained a non-starter, following reluctance of aviation companies to start domestic flights from here. According to information, besides aviation companies, even the Union aviation ministry found the airport 'financially nonviable', after carrying out surveys on different routes - Bathinda-Jammu and Bathinda-Bikaner.

People's Party of Punjab president Manpreet Singh Badal said the government has set its priorities wrongly as no one is interested to invest at Bathinda. He added "For this, the government has to industrialise Bathinda, but, unfortunately, no one is interested to invest in the state due to corruption and other faulty policies."^[2]

Airlines and Destinations

References