Bhubaneswar-Dubai flight to be discontinued? Odia diaspora urges CM’s intervention

The future of the direct Bhubaneswar-Dubai IndiGo flight hangs in the balance, prompting the UAE Odia Society to urge Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to intervene. The community fears the shutdown will severely affect connectivity, livelihoods, and regional cooperation.

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According to private sources, Bhubaneswar’s only direct international flight to Dubai may be discontinued. Media reports in this regard have alarmed the UAE-based Odia community. In response, the UAE Odia Society has written a letter to the Odisha Chief Minister, appealing for urgent intervention to prevent the IndiGo-operated Bhubaneswar-Dubai flight from being suspended.

The society’s president highlighted in the letter that the flight acts as a lifeline for over 30,000 Odias residing in the UAE. It serves not just personal or professional purposes, but also plays a crucial role in tourism, trade, and medical travel between Odisha and the Middle East.

The letter emphasised that cancelling this route would significantly impact the Odia diaspora, isolating them from their home state and affecting business and cultural ties. If discontinued, Odisha will lose one of its key international air corridors, weakening global outreach.

No official statement has yet come from the Department concerned.

Odisha BJP has stated, the State government should take proactive steps to safeguard public interest. “Running a flight, by and large, depends on the number of passengers travelling in it. However, the State government will certainly take steps to safeguard the interests of Odia people (in UAE), since this is a people’s government,” MLA Babu Singh said.

The UAE Odia Society has strongly urged the Chief Minister to ensure the continuation of service and maintain the direct air connection between Bhubaneswar and Dubai.