Bhubaneswar: After Dubai, IndiGo airlines will begin the much-awaited direct flight services from Bhubaneswar to Singapore and Bangkok on June 5.
According to sources, the low-cost airline operator has submitted the schedule of the bi-weekly services to the two international destinations to Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA). “We have received the schedule from IndiGo and all necessary logistical support will be provided for smooth operation,” airport director Prasanna Pradhan told TOI.
The state capital was directly connected to Dubai by air from May 15 with IndiGo’s Airbus-320 operating from here thrice a week. These flights are expected to give a huge boost to tourism in Odisha and open gateway to Southeast Asian countries.
On December 27, the Odisha cabinet approved the bid of IndiGo airlines, which had evinced interest in operating direct flights to Dubai, Singapore and Bangkok following a request for quotation from the state government.
According to the bid proposal, a 186-seater flight will be operated from BPIA thrice a week including the weekends and the expenditure towards flight operation will be borne by the state government. In lieu, the revenue generated through ticketing will be retained by the state government.
The government has earmarked Rs 120 crore to help operate these flights and hopes to reach break-even within a year.
Notably, Air Asia had started flight service to Bangkok in December 2018 but it was suspended a year later (September 2019) without citing any reason. Only 55-85% seats were then being booked on these flights operating thrice a week.
