If everything goes well, as many as 12 new flights are likely to operate to and from Odisha by the end of this summer. This was revealed at a meeting of the Chief Executive Officers of different airlines here on Wednesday.
The planned destinations are Kolkata-Jharsuguda, Bhubaneswar-Varanasi, Varanasi-Bhubaneswar, Jharsuguda-Mumbai, Prayagraj-Bhubaneswar, Delhi-Bhubaneswar, Bhubaneswar-Rourkela, Bhubaneswar-Kalaikunda, Bhubaneswar-Bangkok, Bangkok-Bhubaneswar, Singapore-Bhubaneswar, Bhubaneswar-Abu Dhabi.
Addressing the meeting, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik urged the airline operators to improve connectivity with Odisha by citing the growth story of the State. The meeting was also attended by senior officials of the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation.
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Mr. Patnaik said that Odisha has witnessed rapid growth over the years and made its foothold strong in many areas, including mining, manufacturing, tourism, culture, sports, education and IT.
In last few years, the aviation traffic in Odisha has seen immense growth. Though the domestic flight connectivity has seen a noticeable improvement, there is greater scope for international connectivity, Mr. Patnaik added.
Secretary of Ministry of Civil Aviation P.S. Kharola said aviation is the new engine of economic growth. While there was 17% growth in aviation nationally, Bhubaneswar had seen 29% cumulative growth, he said.
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Joint Secretary of Civil Aviation Usha Padhee made a presentation on UDAN scheme and said Bhubaneswar will be provided viability gap funding under the scheme. She also highlighted the efforts to improve different airstrips of Odisha.
Odisha Commerce & Transport Minister Padmanabha Behera and several senior State government officials also addressed the meeting and highlighted the tourism and mineral industries potential of the State.