The long wait of residents of southern Odisha district of Koraput for air connectivity has finally come to an end with the first scheduled flight from Odisha capital Bhubaneswar to Jeypore town taking off on Monday.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched the commercial flight services for Jeypore at the Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA), Bhubaneswar at 10.30am today.
IndiaOne Air operated the inaugural flight from Bhubaneswar to Jeypore at an introductory offer of Rs 999.
The Jeypore airport has been licensed for scheduled commercial flight operations under UDAN scheme. The IndiaOne Air will operate the scheduled flights between Bhubaneswar and Jeypore.
This will reduce the travel time between the State capital and Jeypore town to 1.5 hours.
As per sources, IndiaOne Air will operate the daily flight between Bhubaneswar and Jeypore and Jeypore and Visakhapatnam.
After the maiden flight with passengers reaches Jeypore, an inaugural function will be organised. Later, the flight will depart for Visakhapatnam. The flight then will bring passengers from Visakhapatnam and return to Bhubaneswar.
The Odisha CMO said the commencement of flight operations will give boost to connectivity, commerce and tourism, fulfilling the aspirations of the people of the region.
"Jeypore earlier this month became the 1st state owned airport to get a license. With Odisha Govt support, airline operator- IndiaOne Air commenced flight operations to Jeypore. The daily flight between the State Capital and Jeypore will cut down the travel time to 1.5 hour," the CMO added.