Muzaffarpur Airport

Muzaffarpur Airport (IATA: MZU, ICAO: VEMZ) is located in Muzaffarpur in the state of Bihar, India. The airport is situated at Patahi and is owned and operated by the Airports Authority of India (AAI).^[1]

The airport was originally constructed to facilitate the arrival of Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India.^[2] Between 1967 and 1982, the airport handled regular flight operations connecting Muzaffarpur with Patna.^[3]

• 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 24 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.^[4]

The Government of India approved the operation of small aircraft services from seven cities in Bihar under the UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) regional connectivity scheme to enhance air connectivity and promote regional development.^[5]

To support the initiative, the central government allocated approximately ₹190 crore for the development and operationalisation of airports at Birpur, Supaul, Saharsa, Madhubani, Munger, Muzaffarpur (Patahi Airport), Purnia and Valmikinagar.^[6]

The airport infrastructure development is being executed by the Airports Authority of India, and a memorandum of understanding (MoU) is to be signed between the Bihar state government and AAI for project implementation.^[7]

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) issued a tender on October 4 2025 for the development and upgradation of Muzaffarpur Airport (Patahi Airport). The project aims to revive civil aviation operations and enable regional air connectivity under the UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) scheme, with operations planned for small regional aircraft.

Bihar government also plans to operate a satellite campus of the Bihar Flying Institute from this airport.^[1]

• The estimated cost of the project is ₹28.58 crore.
• The tender has been issued in Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) mode by the Airports Authority of India.

The tender includes:

• Construction of a pre-fabricated steel structure terminal building
• Construction of a pre-engineered Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower
• Construction of a pre-engineered fire station
• Development of apron, parking and other associated airport facilities and supporting infrastructure

All works are to be executed under a composite EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) contract.

^[8]

The Airports Authority of India received a total of Eight Bids for the development and upgradation of Muzaffarpur Airport into a Code-2B category facility.

• Adyaraj Developers Pvt. Ltd.
• ATR Infraprojects Pvt. Ltd.
• Cladding Projects Ltd.
• Epack Polymers Pvt. Ltd.
• MHPL India Pvt. Ltd.
• B. Rai Construction Company
• Saryug Gautam Construction Pvt. Ltd.
• Tribeni Constructions Ltd.

• The work completion period for the project is approximately 330 days (around 11 months) from the date of award of the contract.
• The tender also includes a defect liability period (DLP) of approximately two years after completion, during which the contractor is responsible for rectification of defects as per AAI norms.^[9]

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• Purnea Airport
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