Air Odisha to start commercial flight operation by month end     

BHUBANESWAR: Air Odisha on Friday conducted a trial run of its commercial flight from Bhubaneswar linking to Rourkela and Sambalpur.

A nine-seater Sexna Carbon 208b took off from Bhubaneswar at about 12.15 pm on Friday and successfully landed in Rourkela at about 2.20 pm. From there it took off to Sambalpur at about 3 pm and landed after one hour and twenty minutes.

An official of Air Odisha said the fair would be between Rs 4,000 to 5,000 from Bhubaneswar to Sambalpur.

For Bhubaneswar to Rourkela, the fare would be between Rs 2,000 to 3,000; while for Bhubaneswar to Sambalpur it would be Rs 4,000-Rs 5,000 from Bhubaneswar, said the official.

Following the successful flight operation, the plane would regularly operate from this month end linking Bhubaneswar, Rourkela and Sambalpur, he added.

Notably, the Odisha Government has a plan to fly passenger planes from Bhubaneswar to various faraway cities within the state.

Sources said the aircraft would go to five destinations every day from Bhubaneswar, and the carrier will engage 25 employees, including an engineer, at each destination after formal commercial operation in the state.

According to the carrier’s flying plans, it will go to Jharsuguda en route Sambalpur in the morning. It will leave Jharsuguda for Bhubaneswar after a half -hour halt.

It will take off for Rourkela en route Angul in the afternoon. It will then fly to Jeypore and return to Bhubaneswar, the Air Odisha official said.

Through this, it would link all the industrial belts of the state while it would facilitate passenger operation for the faculties coming to Sambalpur-based Indian Institute of Management (IIM).