BHUBANESWAR: National carrier Air India (AI) is conducting a feasibility study to connect Bhubaneswar to the Mumbai-Dubai route in its bid to improve connectivity to the State.
AI has written to the State Government to create necessary infrastructure to make the connectivity successful if it works out well.
Tourism and Culture Minister Ashok Panda, who had met Ashok Gajapati Raju earlier this week, had apprised the latter of the need for increasing air connectivity to the State. “If the connectivity can work out before Nabakalebara, it would be a huge boost for the State,” said Panda.
In fact, the State is also pressing for connectivity with Thailand through Bhubaneswar.
Panda said some of the private airlines are also studying the feasibility of connecting Kolkata to Bangkok through the State Capital.
However, AI’s operations to the State has been truant in the last few years. Barring New Delhi and Mumbai, it has cut down on direct flights to many States as well their frequencies.
The State has been seeking restoration of the direct AI flight to Varanasi for long but it has fallen on deaf ears.