Bhubaneswar: To enhance connectivity, two airlines will commence services from Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) in Bhubaneswar, starting January 2025.
Director of Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) Prasanna Pradhan said flight services will connect Indore, Dehradun, Lucknow, Jaipur and Kochi.
IndiGo will be introducing flights to Indore 4 days a week and Dehradun 3 days a week from January 1. The scheduled departure time for these flights from Bhubaneswar is 3 pm, he said.
It is also planning a new Bengaluru base departure at 6.15 am and base arrival at 12.20 am, effective January 4.
Starting January 4, 2025, Air India Express will launch tri-weekly flights between Bhubaneswar and Lucknow. Flight IX2801 will depart from Bhubaneswar at 7.55 am, land in Lucknow at 9.40 am. The return flight, IX2802 will take off from Lucknow at 11.15 am and arrive in Bhubaneswar at 1.05 pm. Similarly, Bhubaneswar-Jaipur service will commence on January 3, 2025. It will operate 4 days a week. Flight IX2801 will depart from Bhubaneswar at 7.55 am and land in Jaipur at 10.15 am. The return flight, IX2802, will leave Jaipur at 10.45 and and arrive in Bhubaneswar at 1.o5 pm.
The inaugural daily flight to Kochi will commence from January 3, 2025. Flight IX1596 will depart from Bhubaneswar at 3.10 pm and land in Kochi at 5.40 pm. The return flight IX1597 will take off from Kochi at 6.10 pm and arrive in Bhubaneswar at 9.50 pm.
These new routes will take Bhubaneswar’s direct connectivity to ten cities.
The expansion marks Air India Express’s strategic push to enhance connectivity from Bhubaneswar. It is also planning to expand its network with five new destinations from the state capital. The airline will also increase its frequency to Kolkata by adding a third daily flight. Flight IX1596 will depart from Kolkata at 1.30 pm and arrive here at 2.40 pm. The return flight, IX1597 will leave Bhubaneswar at 9.25 pm and arrive in Kolkata at 10.50 pm.
With the addition of the new destinations, BPIA will have direct flight operations to 34 cities including four international locations. On an average, 49 flights are currently arriving and departing from the airport everyday with a passenger footfall of around 7,000.
Meanwhile, Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi met Civil Aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu in New Delhi on Thursday and requested for flight services to Jammu, Surat and Visakhapatnam from the city. She also urged the minister to sanction the construction of Terminal-3 at BPIA.
Also Read: New Direct Flights From Bhubaneswar & Jharsuguda Airports Soon
Earlier this month, Chief Minister Mohan Majhi had informed that the New Destination Policy has incentivised airlines to expand their operations at Bhubaneswar and Jharsuguda airports.
(With inputs from aviationa2z)
