Bhawanipatna: After Jeypore and Rourkela, steps are being initiated to start flight operation at Utkela airport in Odisha’s Kalahandi district.
The preparation at Utkela airport comes close on the heals of unscheduled fight service started at Rangeilunda airstrip, on the outskirts of Berhampur city on March 5, coinciding with the 107th birth anniversary of former Chief Minister Biju Patnaik.
Soruces said the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had been requested to issue license for flight operation to and from the 2-B Category Utkela Airport a few months ago.
Accordingly, a five-member team of the DGCA visited the airport at Bhawanipatna on Friday, they said.
The DGCA team inspected the Utkela airport and also conducted a review meeting over the proposal of flight operations between Bhawanipatna and Bhubaneswar.
The DGCA had earlier written letters to the Commerce and Transport department of Odisha, district Collector of Kalahandi, Works Department and police requesting them to provide required manpower for the airport.
Flight operations from the Utkela airport may begin anytime next month if all formalities are completed and required permission is availed from the DGCA by last week of the current month.
It may be noted that Utkela is amont the airstrips of Odisha included in the UDAN scheme in 2016.
