BHUBANESWAR: Giving wings to the dreams of 44 specially-abled children, Alliance Air - a wholly-owned subsidiary of Air India - operated a special aircraft on Wednesday from Biju Patnaik International Airport. The underprivileged children experienced the joy of flying high in the sky during a 40-minute tour. The initiative was implemented by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Airports Authority of India (AAI), Air India, Alliance Air, Odisha Government and Swabhiman NGO.
The children, accompanied by their parents and facilitators, arrived at the airport in a Mo Bus, operated by Capital Region Urban Transport-Bhubaneswar, around 7.45 am and took the skies after the flight was flagged off by SSEPD Minister Ashok Chandra Panda around 9.30 am. Earlier, the children had made drawings of the flight as per their perceptions. The drawings were showcased at a mini-exhibition, hosted at the airport during the occasion. A cake-cutting ceremony was also held before the children boarded the flight. Ollywood actors Akash Das Nayak and Sabyasachi Mishra were present to cheer them up.
According to the organisers, the exercise was aimed at boosting the confidence of specially-abled children. Travelling in an aircraft can be a challenging experience for special children due to multiple factors, including exposure to unfamiliar sounds.
“All the children were counselled regarding their trip which helped killed the anxiety in them and there was happiness writ large on their faces. More than 20 facilitators who have been handling the children for the past four years were on the job,” claimed Sruti Mohapatra, founder of Swabhiman, a City-based voluntary organisation that works for the welfare and rights of specially-abled persons.