Rourkela: The maiden flight service between Rourkela and Kolkata was cancelled by Alliance Air on Tuesday afternoon due to “low visibility”.
The Rourkela-Bhubaneswar and Bhubaneswar-Rourkela flights were also cancelled.
According to sources, the airline informed passengers of the Rourkela-Bhubaneswar flight about the cancellation around 10 am. Some passengers turned up at the airport around 3 pm and waited for the flight to come from Kolkata but around 4.15 pm, the airline officials announced the cancellation of the flight because of low visibility.
The passengers, who were were visibly disappointed, demanded an explanation from station manager of Alliance Air in Rourkela airport. “I had planned on taking the maiden direct flight to Kolkata for a business trip but unfortunately had to return home,” Rourkela Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Sunil Kayal told TOI.
In a press release, the chief minister’s office had also mentioned about the commencement of the flight service from Rourkela to Kolkata, saying it has made viability gap funding (VGF) for 35 seats. “Alliance Air will provide the service three days a week, that is, on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and with the commencement of direct flight between Rourkela-Kolkata, industrialisation and tourism sector will see a significant growth,” it said, adding that the airfare is Rs 1,999.
The direct flight service is available on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. It will depart from Rourkela at 3.50 pm and arrive at Kolkata at 5.20 pm.
In October, the airline had added Kolkata to Rourkela via Bhubaneswar daily.
