Kalahandi district in Odisha is soon going to find a place on the airport map of India after the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) gave approval for flight operations from the Utkela airport on Monday.
The airport has been approved under the Udan scheme of the government of India.
Following the DGCA nod, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik shared the news on his Twitter handle. “Glad to share that Utkela Airport in Kalahandi district has received DGCA license to start flight operations. Soon flight operations will commence to Bhubaneswar. It will boost connectivity, commerce & tourism, fulfilling aspirations of people of the region,” he tweeted.
The airstrip at Utkela, just 20 km from district headquarters in Bhawanipatna, was built in 1962. The work on its runway expansion, terminal building, staff quarters, barrack, and fire station are almost completed.
Earlier, flight operations from Rourkela airport began on January 7. However, in less than six months of inauguration, flight services from Rourkela have become a headache for commuters with regularly irregular service. As per reports, there were regular cancellations of flights by Air India, which was granted permission by the DGCA to operate from Rourkela airport.