Bhubaneswar: No airline has shown interest for operating flight service from Tusura airstrip in Odisha’s Balangir district, the Rajya Sabha was informed.
Answering a question from Niranjan Bishi, who hails from Balangir district, about whether Tusura airstrip will be operational, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol said on Monday that Tusura airstrip in Odisha is available in the list of unserved airstrips in the UDAN document under the regional connectivity scheme-Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik (RCS-UDAN).
So far, no airline bidder has submitted proposals to operate RCS flights from the airstrip. As per the provisions of the scheme, revival/upgradation of unserved and underserved airports is undertaken upon its identification through a valid bid and award to the selected airline operator.
Tusura can be considered as per the UDAN scheme provisions if any airline submits a valid proposal for the operation of RCS flights connecting the airstrip in future bidding rounds.
Around 45km from Balangir town, Tusura is near Utkela airstrip in Kalahandi district, which is also an operational RCS destination.
The previous govt had sanctioned Rs 65 crore for the renovation and modernisation of Tusura.
To a question from another member, the Minister said a total of 32 routes in Odisha and 90 routes in the northeastern region (NER) were operationalised under RCS.
The budget allocated for the RCS-UDAN in the financial year 2025-26 is Rs 300 crore. RCS-UDAN aims to bring air connectivity to tier-2 and tier-3 cities, including tribal areas, by taking up existing airstrips which are identified through UDAN bidding rounds, he said in his reply.
