Maiden Bhubaneswar-Rourkela flight takes off from Biju Patnaik international airport

BHUBANESWAR/ROURKELA: Chief minister Naveen Patnaik and Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday flagged off the Bhubaneswar-Rourkela flight from the Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) here. Union civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia inaugurated the event over the virtual mode.
Alliance Air’s 72-seater aircraft will operate daily between Bhubaneswar and the Steel City from January 12 ahead of the Men’s Hockey World Cup. With it, Rourkela becomes the fourth place in the state having air connectivity with Bhubaneswar. Jharsuguda and Jeypore are already connected to Bhubaneswar.

The regular flight to Rourkela will leave Bhubaneswar every day at 2.55 pm and arrive there at 3.50 pm. The return flight is at 4.15 pm, which will arrive here at 5.10 pm. The inaugural flight left the BPIA at 10.45 am on Saturday.
While people have to pay Rs 2,830 for the Bhubaneswar-Rourkela flight, Rs 2,721 will be charged in the return direction. Work of Rourkela airport was taken up under the Udaan scheme. The civil aviation ministry spent around Rs 60 crores for development of the entire airport, including expansion and rejuvenation of runway and for creation of several other facilities. The Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) provided additional 143 acres of land for the expansion.
The Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) owns the airport and bears the cost of operation, which will be more than Rs 3 crore per annum. The state government will provide security, fire services and ambulance service, official sources said.
Official sources said an agreement was signed between RSP and Airports Authority of India (AAI) on October 28, 2022 paving the way for the commencement of commercial operation at the airport. On December 19, 2022, the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) accorded 2C licence to the airport.