Bhubaneswar: The first direct Jharsuguda-Bhubaneswar-Varanasi Alliance Air flight took off from Veer Surendra Sai Airport in Jharsuguda with 31 passengers at around 10 am on Friday.
Earlier, there were media reports that the flight from Jharsuguda had been cancelled, owing to some delay in administrative procedures. This was later denied by Jharsuguda airport director Sudesh Kumar Chauhan. “It is an important day for us. Though a one-hop flight, it is an important destination for us,” he told mediapersons.
The Air India’s subsidiary is operating the 9i 747 flight from Jharsuguda to Varanasi via Bhubaneswar.
It left Biju Patnaik International Airport at 12.15 pm with 40 passengers, reports said.
The flight is scheduled to reach Varanasi at 14.05 pm. It will then take off for Bhubaneswar at 14.30 pm and arrive here at 16.20 pm.
The all-inclusive one-way fares of Jharsuguda-Varanasi and vice versa are starting at Rs 5,676.
“The daily direct flight between the two destinations will reduce travel time making it convenient for passengers,” said an airport official.
However, this is not the lone flight from Odisha to the city on the banks of the river Ganges in Uttar Pradesh.
IndiGo has already announced services to connect Bhubaneswar-Varanasi from February-end.
IndiGo will have two flights operating from here to Varanasi.
