Bhubaneswar: The first test flight landed successfully at the airstrip at Balimunda under Basudevpur block in Odisha’s Bhadrak district on Tuesday.
Dhamra Port Company Limited (DPCL), a 100% subsidiary of Adani Ports, is developing the airstrip at an investment of Rs 500 crore.
According to sources, a seven-seater aircraft from Ahmedabad landed at the airstrip at 10.20 am and the first passenger to step out was Adani Group’s Mahendra Mehta. He was accorded a warm welcome by officials of the Dhamara Port.
Sources further said that the company officials held discussions with the airstrip authorities regarding various aspects of the facility for around 30 minutes before taking off.
Airstrip at Balimunda, Bhadrak with landing of 1st Aircraft is a great achievement. Dhamra Port gets air connectivity. Will trigger more industries and Port based setups at/near Dhamra. Personally feel very happy being associated with it in the past. Congratulations @DM_Bhadrak pic.twitter.com/ZB4pt1vP0g
— Dr. GYANA DAS (@gyana_r_das) January 29, 2025
In September 2018, the Odisha government accorded in-principle approval for setting up a commercial airport near Dhamra port on Adani Group’s proposal, considering the increasing industrial interest in Dhamara and other areas of the district. A month later, a MoU in this regard was inked between the government and DPCL. The proposal by DPCL to acquire 274.41 acre land to build the commercial airstrip got the go ahead in 2020.
The plan includes a 3,200 metre runway and 1,200 metres of it have been completed so far, allowing for the landing of small aircraft.
Once completed, it is likely trigger more industries and Port based setups at/near Dhamra. The airstrip will also benefit the five million tpa LNG terminal at Dhamra, which is expected to operate at full capacity by 2026 or 2027.
Biggest investment intent
Adani Group led the investment rush at Utkarsh Odisha Conclave 2025, committing Rs 2.28 lakh crore in across power, cement, industrial parks and aluminium sectors over the next five years.
“The investment spans across sectors like power, cement, industrial parks, aluminium and city gas expansion in Odisha,” Managing director of Adani Ports and SEZ Limited (APSEZ) Karan Adani told the media after he met Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and exchanged the MoU for the investment in the state.
Having secured the Ballada bauxite mine in Koraput during auctions in 2023, the conglomerate plans to set up an aluminium refinery as well as smelter in the state.
Also in the pipeline are a renewable energy unit at Cuttack, cement plants in Malkangiri and Cuttack, develop the Dhamra industrial park and an EV charging station at Bhubaneswar airport. This apart, expansion of both Dhamra and Gopalpur ports are in the offing.
