Bhubaneswar: Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya M Scindia along with Minister of states Gen. Vijay Kumar Singh on Thursday inaugurated Utkela Airport and a direct flight between Utkela and Bhubaneshwar through video conferencing.
At Bhubaneswar Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik flagged off the first scheduled flight service to Utkela in Kalahandi district at Biju Patnaik International airport.
Utkela will be now connected with Temple City Bhubaneswar by air as 9 seater Aircraft is operated by M/s India One Air in the Bhubaneswar-Utkela route. Earlier, Utkela Airstrip was used only on handful occasions for flight operations during the arrival of dignitaries.
The newly inaugurated Utkela – Bhubaneshwar – Utkela flight route will enhance regional air connectivity and play an important role in the economic development of the region. India One, will be running the flights on this route from August 31 onwards. The operator will be utilizing 9-seater Cessna C-208 aircraft sanctioned under the UDAN scheme.
With the operation of Bhubaneswar- Utkela flight service a long-standing demand for flight operation to Kalahandi has been fulfilled. The travel time will be 1 hour 15 minutes.
In his inaugural address Scindia said that Utkela to Bhubaneswar air connectivity will reduce the time taken to travel by road which is nearly 8 hours.Now with Utkela-Bhubaneswar flight the distance could be covered in one hour and twenty minutes.
He said this will be a new beginning for Kalahandi region as economic activities will come up and generate a range of employment opportunities.
The central government, Scindia said, is working in close cooperation with the Odisha government developing the civil aviation infrastructure in the state.
Union Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways and Civil Aviation Gen Dr V K Singh (Retd)said that the central government spent around Rs 31 crore in the redevelopment of the Utkela airport.
Utkela airport is, however, owned by the Odisha government. It has been developed as a regional airport under the UDAN scheme of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India at a cost of Rs. 31.07crore.
The Utkela airport has a runway of length 917 meters. (2,995 ft.) with a width of 30 meters. With the addition of Utkela Airport, Odisha will now have five airports.The other airports are BPIA,Jharsuguda, Rourkela and Jeypore.
Official sources said the presence of attractive places and tourist destinations like Manikeswari Temple, PhurliJharan Waterfall, Rabandhara waterfall, Khariapat wildlife sanctuary in Kalahandi will now attract many tourists after air connectivity at Utkela.
Senior Doctors, Professors of Saheed Rendo Majhi Medical College and Hospital, Bhawanipatna, Kalahandi and businessmen from the city will fly out and in frequently.
Kalahandi is considered as a commercial hub of Western Odisha which has seen a rapid growth in its population and industry and the flight operation in this route will boost the industry and tourism sector,Official sources said.
The airline will provide service twice in a week on Tuesday and Thursday. The flight will take off at 7.45 AM from Bhubaneswar and land at Utkela at 8.25 AM and the return flight will leave Utkela at 8.50AM and land at Bhubaneswar at 10.50AM.
Commerce and transport minister Tukuni Sahu, science technology and SSEPD minister Ashok Chandra Panda ,Chief Secretary P K Jena, 5T secretary V K Pandian and senior officers of C&T dept were also present on the occasion.
