Odisha demands commercial flight operation, night landing facilities at Jharsuguda airport

Bhubaneswar: As the newly developed Jharsuguda airport gets ready to start operations by April  2018, the Odisha government today urged the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Airport Authority of India (AAI)  to take urgent measures for operation of commercial flights from the second airport of the State and provide night landing facilities there.

In a letter to Civil Aviation Secretary RN Choubey, Odisha Chief Secretary AP Padhi stated that commercial flight operation from Jharsuguda  would be financially viable in view of growing industrial base in the area. "I would therefore request you to kindly take up the matter with commercial airliners like Air India, IndiGo, GoAir ,Air Asia for exploring introduction of regular commercial flights from Jharsuguda airport," Padhi stated.

He also stressed on the need of regular flight operation from Jharsuguda to other cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata besides Bhubaneswar under UDAN scheme.

In a separate letter to the chairman of AAI, Padhi sought immediate steps for provision of night landing facilities at the new airport . If such facilities are not made, the new airport would remain underutilised and people would be deprived of benefits, he said.

"Äs understood, there is no provision of night landing facilities in the present scope of airport development. I would, therefore, like to request you to take immediate steps for provision of night landing facilities at Jharsuguda Airport before it is made operational so that it can be a full-fledged airport from the beginning," the letter read.