PURNEA, Feb. 4 -- The Bihar government on Tuesday transferred 15 acres of land to the Airport Authority of India (AAI), making way for the installation of the Instrument Landing System (ILS) at the Purnea airport. This will facilitate aircraft movement in low visibility and adverse weather, improving reliability, reducing delays and minimising diversions. This came soon after Purnea airport set a record by achieving a milestone by serving over 1 lakh passengers since its inception on September 15 last year till January 31 this year. The airport had crossed the 50,000- passenger mark till December 12 last year within less than three months of its operation. "Within a short period, the Purnea airport has achieved the milestone and surpassed the 1 lakh mark and this shows the growth momentum," airport director Deep Prakash Gupta said, pointing out the increasing public confidence and growing demand for air travel in the Seemanchal and Kosi regions. He further indicated that the passenger convenience has been enhanced by strengthening the car park facilities even during night parking facilities have been introduced. He expressed happiness that the airport could handle even medical emergencies promptly in less than five months as per SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures). He added, "Passenger safety has been our prime concern and we have so far done as per people's expectations with effective coordination among doctors, airline staff, the Indian Air Force and Air Traffic Control." Ever since the Purnea airport was inaugurated by the Prime Minister on September 15, last year, the surge in the passengers has underlined the need for four-lane road connectivity. Group Captain (retired) Vishwajeet Kumar said that the record footfalls during the short period of time and said, "Now we have direct flights for Delhi, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Kolkata," and the flights for Bangalore, Chennai, Guwahati and Mumbai have become a need for hours. "Record footfalls have proved that Purnea airport has potential to grow into an international airport," he said....