Travellers passing through Jay Prakash Narayan International Airport in Patna faced chaos on Monday as an unexpected outage in the Instrument Landing System (ILS) compounded morning fog and forced authorities to suspend operations for nearly nine hours. The ripple effect hit 54 domestic flights on the busy final weekday of the year, with some aircraft diverted as far as Kolkata and Ranchi before fuel reserves tightened.
Airports Authority of India technicians traced the fault to a power-fluctuation that damaged the glide-path antenna. A temporary mobile ILS was flown in from Kolkata, but operations could resume only after sunset when visibility improved and an older non-precision approach was pressed into service. Airlines bussed hundreds of passengers to Gaya, 110 km away, so they could board alternative services.
![Patna airport suffers day-long shutdown after navigation-aid failure, stranding 6,000 passengers]()
For passengers suddenly rerouted through new international gateways, unexpected transit-visa requirements can be another hurdle. VisaHQ (https://www.visahq.com/india/) streamlines the process with 24/7 online applications, courier pick-ups and real-time tracking, ensuring travelers secure the necessary documents quickly while airlines sort out their schedules.
Patna is a critical spoke in several corporate travel itineraries for FMCG and fertiliser companies with plants across Bihar. “Our Singapore executives lost a full production-ramp meeting,” said a factory manager at Barauni Fertilisers. Travel-management firms estimate direct losses of ₹8 crore in re-booking fees, hotels and missed connections.
The incident has renewed calls for a second runway and upgraded CAT-III infrastructure at Patna, which routinely tops the list of India’s most delay-prone airports in winter. State Industries Minister Sunil Chaudhary told reporters that a proposal for a green-field airport at Bihta is awaiting central clearance. Until then, airlines warn, Patna will remain ‘one fog-bank away’ from paralysis.
Airports Authority of India technicians traced the fault to a power-fluctuation that damaged the glide-path antenna. A temporary mobile ILS was flown in from Kolkata, but operations could resume only after sunset when visibility improved and an older non-precision approach was pressed into service. Airlines bussed hundreds of passengers to Gaya, 110 km away, so they could board alternative services.
For passengers suddenly rerouted through new international gateways, unexpected transit-visa requirements can be another hurdle. VisaHQ (https://www.visahq.com/india/) streamlines the process with 24/7 online applications, courier pick-ups and real-time tracking, ensuring travelers secure the necessary documents quickly while airlines sort out their schedules.
Patna is a critical spoke in several corporate travel itineraries for FMCG and fertiliser companies with plants across Bihar. “Our Singapore executives lost a full production-ramp meeting,” said a factory manager at Barauni Fertilisers. Travel-management firms estimate direct losses of ₹8 crore in re-booking fees, hotels and missed connections.
The incident has renewed calls for a second runway and upgraded CAT-III infrastructure at Patna, which routinely tops the list of India’s most delay-prone airports in winter. State Industries Minister Sunil Chaudhary told reporters that a proposal for a green-field airport at Bihta is awaiting central clearance. Until then, airlines warn, Patna will remain ‘one fog-bank away’ from paralysis.
