BHUBANESWAR:Regional carrier Air Odisha on Friday commenced its maiden services to Raipur with the launching of a new flight from Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA).The 18-seater plane with two pilots and a crew member will depart Bhubaneswar airport at 6.10 am and arrive at Raipur at 7.40 am. The return flight from Raipur will take off at 12.15 pm and land at Bhubaneswar at 1.40 pm. The flight services will be available for six days a week except Sunday.
Flagging off the flight, BPIA Director Suresh Chandra Hota said, “Earlier, there was no air connectivity between Bhubaneswar and Raipur. On the first day, the flight started its journey with nine passengers on board. With this, we hope the passenger service will increase between the two cities.” The schedule connection between the two Capitals would facilitate business and tourism travel, he hoped.
Passengers will have to shell out `4,500 per head since the 20-seater aircraft is yet to be included under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) of Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA). With the new service, distance between Bhubaneswar and Raipur can now be covered in just an hour and a half.Currently, Bhubaneswar has 44 scheduled departures a day. According to sources, the scheduled commuter operator would also connect Jharsuguda and Rourkela in the coming days.