Air Odisha to begin flight service from July 15

The Puducherry airport will witness more activity from July 15 with Air Odisha starting services in the Chennai-Puducherry-Salem-Bengaluru sector. The airline would deploy its 19-seat Beechcraft aircraft .

Air Odisha will be the second low-cost private airliner to operate from the airport here. Earlier, SpiceJet launched its service to Hyderabad and Bengaluru.

The flight will leave Chennai by 8.10 a.m and reach Puducherry at 8.55 a.m.

It will take off from here at 9.10 a.m. and reach Salem at 10 a.m. and from there it will resume its service at 10.15 a.m. and reach Bengaluru at 10.55 a.m.

In its return journey, the flight will take off from Chennai at 11.15 a.m., reach Salem at noon, Puducherry at 1 p.m. and Chennai at 2 p.m.

E.C. Taji, Airport Director, told The Hindu that the airline had opened booking from May 6.

Ms. Taji, one of the few women to be appointed Airport Director by the Airport Authority of India, said the introduction of the new sector would help expand air operations from the airport.

At present, SpiceJet operates two flights to Hyderabad and Bengaluru and the airport handles around 300 passengers on an average per day.

“Several other private airlines visited the airport to study the viability of operating flights to more destinations.

“We wanted to improve the infrastructure so that more airlines can start service from here,” she said.

Infrastructural needs

She said the Pudcherry airport submitted a report to AAI on the necessity to improve the infrastructure.

The work proposed included construction of a control tower-cum-fire station, technical block, 30-metre flag post, perimeter lighting around the compound wall, installation , of additional 22 closed-circuit television cameras, restaurant and snack bar, ATM counter at terminal and terminal beautification. The work would cost around ₹15 crore, she said.

After resumption of air services last year, the AAI augmented infrastructure facility, including two new X-ray baggage information system, flight information display system and security, at the airport.

The director said the AAI agreed to expand the runway to 2,350 metres from the present 1,502 metres to operate wide bodied aircraft if the Tamil Nadu and Puducherry government acquired the land.

For the runway expansion, the AAI would need 272 acres of land on Tamil Nadu side and 114 acres of land in Puducherry, she said.