ROURKELA: Even as the crash-landing of the nine-seater commercial flight has triggered safety concerns among flyers, senior BJP leader and former union minister Dilip Ray has demanded immediate restoration of operation of the earlier 72-seater aircraft from Rourkela.
In a letter to Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu on Monday, Ray said Rourkela airport was earlier having regular operation of an ATR-72 aircraft but has now been experiencing downgrading of operations with commercial connectivity reduced to nine-seater flight with limited frequency. It marks a significant step back from the earlier level of air connectivity available to the region, he said.
“This regression has been a matter of concern for the people of western Odisha, especially given Rourkela’s role as a major industrial, educational and economic centre. Reliable air connectivity is not merely a convenience for the region, but an essential enabler for business travel, medical emergencies, institutional engagement and investor confidence,” said Ray who is also the former MLA of Rourkela.
The senior BJP leader insisted on immediate restoration of regular 72-seater ATR aircraft operations with predictable schedules and improved frequency to help rebuild flyers’ confidence and meet the present demand.
He stressed for ownership transfer of the airport from SAIL to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to enable professional management and time-bound development. He also sought upgradation of the airport from Code 2C to Code 4C licence including runway extension to permit operations of higher-capacity aircraft such as the Airbus 320A.
Ray insisted on urgent installation of critical navigational and operational facilities including instrument landing and night landing systems at Rourkela airport to ensure safe and reliable flight operations under all-weather conditions.
On January 10, a nine-seater Cessna Grand C208B aircraft VT-KSS of IndiaOne Air, a scheduled commuter operator, had crash-landed near Jalda A Block of Rourkela. Four passengers and two pilots had survived with injuries. Later, separate teams of DGCA and AAIB conducted inquiry and also reportedly collected the plane’s black box.
The Cessna aircraft was operating on Rourkela-Bhubaneswar route under the Regional Connectivity Scheme with viability gap funding support of the Odisha government.
Meanwhile, a team of the airline’s insurance company on Wednesday visited the crash site. Sources said a platoon of police force has been guarding the damaged aircraft at the mishap site. There are plans to cut open the aircraft’s engine for shifting by road in three to four days. Subsequently, the body would be dismantled into pieces for shifting.