PATNA, Sept. 11 -- The Airports Authority of India (AAI) on Tuesday floated a tender for the development and upgradation of the Saharsa airport, marking a decisive step in bringing the flood-prone Kosi region onto the country's aviation map. The upgrade to Code-2B standard - airports having a runway length between 800 and 1,200 metres, allowing operation of aircraft with wingspan between 15 and less than 24 metres like small utility and turboprop planes such as Dornier 228 or Beechcraft 1900, having 19-30 passenger capacity - carries an estimated cost of Rs.42.52 crore and a completion timeline of 450 days. "The work will cover the runway, taxiway, apron, perimeter road, ground support equipment (GSE) area, vehicular lane, emergency access road, runway end safety area (RESA) and the runway's basic strip - bringing the airport up to Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) licensing standards for scheduled operations," said Nilesh Ramchandran Deore "The state government is paying for land acquisition needed to extend the runway - 12 acres at a cost of Rs.147 crore - with the land to be handed over to the AAI once acquired. The chief minister has directed that the acquisition be treated as top priority, and the Saharsa district administration is coordinating with the aviation department to hand contractors an encumbrance-free site as soon as the tender process concludes," added Deore. Saharsa, headquarters of the Kosi division, serves as the administrative, educational, medical and commercial hub for a population of nearly a crore across Saharsa, Supaul and Madhepura districts. Once flights begin, officials said, the airport will ease access to advanced medical and emergency care centres, open new markets for trade, fisheries, agri-processing and small industry, boost tourism to Matsyagandha and nearby religious sites, and provide faster air access for disaster relief in the flood-hit Kosi belt....