Jharsuguda: Flight connectivity between Jharsuguda and Bhubaneswar is set to get a major boost as Alliance Air has decided to start daily services between the two cities from June 1.
The Bhubaneswar-bound flight from Veer Surendra Sai Airport (VSSA) in Jharsuguda will leave at 10.35am and land in Bhubaneswar at 11.40am. During the return trip, the flight from Biju Patnaik International Airport will depart at 9.05am and land in Jharsuguda at 10.10am, Jharsuguda airport director Sudesh Kumar Chouhan said.
The timings for Raipur will be intimated shortly.
Alliance Air services are being rolled out under the Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) scheme. Alliance Air is a wholly owned subsidiary of the state-run Air India.
The UDAN, in fact, has given Jharsuguda airport a new lease of life. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated it in September, 2018 but the grounding of Air Odisha operations dealt a major blow to the airport. It was the UDAN programme that then facilitated the launch of new services by carriers such as SpiceJet and Air India.
The total number of passengers who flew from Jharsuguda airport to other destinations in March stood at 4,692 (about 170 passengers daily) while 5,120 passengers (about 185 passengers daily) arrived at the airport during the period.
