Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has urged the Centre to introduce a direct flight between Bhubaneswar and Dubai to cater to the growing number of international travelers from the state.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik wrote to the Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Hardeep Singh Puri, on Friday that Odisha has been witnessing a rise in traffic to various international destinations and vice-versa due to the increase in industrial investments and tourist footfalls.
This has attracted various international airlines to evince interest in starting flight operations between the Biju Patnaik International Airport, Bhubaneswar and Dubai.
The Chief Minister stated that passengers from Odisha face immense difficulties in going to their desired international destinations like Dubai and the Middle East countries due to the absence of direct flights from the state.
He added that this can be addressed if air connectivity is established between Bhubaneswar and Dubai, which also serves as an international hub for passengers for travelling to other international destinations.
“Although Air India has international flights from Bhubaneswar to the Middle East via New Delhi, it is a costly and time-consuming option. As there is sufficient passenger load, a direct flight is felt necessary between Bhubaneswar and Dubai,” he pointed out.
