Iconic Dakota Of Legendary Biju Patnaik To Be Unveiled At Bhubaneswar Airport Tomorrow

Bhubaneswar: The people of Odisha will now be able to have a glimpse of the iconic Dakota aircraft that was flown by legendary leader and former Chief Minister Biju Patnaik.

The reassembled Dakota DC-3 VT-AUI aircraft is all set to be on display outside the Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) in Bhubaneswar for public viewing.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is slated to unveil the airfraft on the occasion of the birth anniversary of the legendary leader, who was an ace pilot, on Sunday.

“It is a matter of pride for the Odisha government to unveil the Dakota DC-3 aircraft which was relocated from Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata to Biju Patnaik International Airport. Public display of the aircraft will serve as an embodiment of the former Chief Minister’s courage and adventurism, and inspire people of Odisha to dream big,” official sources said.

It may be recalled that the parts of dismantled Dakota aircraft had been brought to Bhubaneswar from Kolkata on January 18. The aircraft, which was parked at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata, was dismantled and its parts were safely loaded on three trailers and brought here on road.

The Transport and Commerce department had roped in Odisha Police and asked them to coordinate with their West Bengal counterpart to ensure the safe passage of the parts of the aircraft weighing over 8 tonne and around 64 feet 8 inches long with wings that extend upto 95 feet.

A special team of experts inspected the aircraft after its arrival at BPIA. A team of engineers, technicians and experts undertook the  assembling of the dismantled aircraft.

The iconic plane would now be parked at BPIA for public viewing after being reassembled and renovated. The Airport Authority of India (AAI) has allotted 1.1 acre of land for the aircraft to be placed in front of the airport named after the legendary leader for display of the DC-3 aircraft. A memorial is being be built for this purpose.

Before joining politics, Biju Patnaik had floated Kalinga Airlines which had a fleet of 15 Dakotas. The company had its headquarter in Kolkata. The airlines used to offer services to the Army for transporting jawans and airdropping supplies.