4 airlines seek nod for international operations from Bhubaneswar BHUBANESWAR: Ten days after the Biju Patnaik airport here was accorded international status by the Union Cabinet, four airlines approached the airport authority to start international operations. The international carriers are Qatar airways for Abu Dhabi, Silk Air for Singapore, Indigo for Bangkok and Fly Dubai for Dubai. All these are direct flights, airport sources said. We have spoken to airline officials. We have called their representatives to hold further discussions as regards the timing, parking, routes and other facilities, airport director Sharad Kumar told TOI on Sunday. He said it would take two weeks to complete the formalities to give the airlines the permission for starting the operation. On a rough estimate, at least 180 passengers would fly to Bangkok every day and 150 passengers each to Dubai and Singapore would fly from Bhubaneswar, he added. The airport authorities hope that there would be a 25 per cent increase in air passenger flow to the state after the international operations begin. AAI officials hoped international operation will help increase the foreign tourists to one lakh. Besides, two airlines - Go Air and Indigo - have evinced interest to run domestic flights from the city airport. Both the airlines will fly to Bangalore. Air connectivity to Bangalore was cut off after Jet airways withdrew its flight on October 27. The airlines have agreed to charge less than Rs 5,000 per passenger for flying to Bangalore, said the director. ABC will deploy its Embraer e-Jet flight, which has a 78 seating capacity. Another Vijaywada-based regional carrier Air Costa has also approached the airports authority to run its flight from Bhubaneswar. Air Costa, the first regional is suitable for short-haul regional connectivity, is most likely to fly from Bhubaneswar to Chennai and Bangalore via Vizag from December.
Posted on: Mon, 11 Nov 2013 09:37:14 +0000
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