He said the plan to construct a new airport at Bihta, on the outskirts of Patna, was shelved as the land offered by the state government did not suit the requirements of setting up a modern airport.

The short length of runway, accompanied by locational constraint, has also adversely affected the upgradation of landing instrument. This airport is still doing with CAT-I landing instrument which makes landing of planes difficult in foggy conditions. With the existing instrument, a visibility of up to 1,600 metres is a must. As the winter season generally witnesses foggy conditions, flights coming and going out of Patna generally get delayed.

"The present landing system instrument can be easily upgraded to the CAT-III category allowing the planes to land even in zero visibility conditions but the locational constraint would not allow the functioning of this upgraded system," said the AAI official.

Constraints notwithstanding, the AAI has been trying to upgrade the passenger amenities from time to time. Food joints, medical facilities and foolproof security are some of the facilities offered to the passengers. There's also a medical care room in the terminal building, having four beds and some emergency medicines. The AAI also provides ambulance facility if a passenger asks for it.

The existing facilities apart, AAI has recently taken some steps for improving the passenger amenities. AAI, Patna, has leased out space for opening a boutique-cum-handicraft emporium at the airport. "The emporium would be opened very soon," the official said.

Then a beginning is going to be made for offering car rental services, the lack of which has been causing trouble to those coming from outside. A Mumbai-based firm made a successful bid for providing this service. Also, a new restaurant is coming up just adjacent to the terminal building.

City's fliers, however, are not very happy. "The airport lacks many facilities which we get at the airports in big cities. The authorities concerned should do something for its immediate upgradation," said Prakash Sinha, a regular flier on Patna-Delhi route. Arun Kumar, another regular flier, echoed Sinha and said, "It is an airport with just basic facilities."

"We are well aware of the passengers' expectations but nothing much can be done unless the airport is shifted to a new location," said the AAI official.