Pradhan Seeks Introduction Of Direct Flight Between Bhubaneswar & Ras-Al-Khaimah

Bhubaneswar: Union Petroleum & Steel Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has requested the Centre for introducing direct flight services between Bhubaneswar and Ras-Al-Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

“There is a strong demand from the NRI Odia community and Odia people working in the Middle-east for a direct flight between Bhubaneswar and Ras-Al-Khaimah, UAE,” Pradhan wrote a letter seeking personal intervention of Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri in this connection.

“A direct connection between Bhubaneswar and Ras-Al-Khaimah will immensely benefit large number of Odia workers travelling to Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Riyadh, Bahrain and other Gulf cities,” he emphasised.

Stating that the Bhubaneswar Airport today stands as one of India's fastest growing airports, registering a growth rate of 41% in 2017-18 and grossing over 32 lakh footfalls, Pradhan pointed out that at present, there is only one direct international flight from Bhubaneswar connecting it with Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which is operated by Air Asia.

Pradhan informed the union minister that a slew of passenger convenience and airport expansion projects are currently underway which will further boost air traffic to Bhubaneswar airport.

“It has come to my knowledge that Spicejet Airlines has an MoU with UAE to start a new airline in Ras-Al-Khaimah. It shall be helpful if it can be recommended to Spicejet to consider Ras-Al-Khaimah connectivity from Bhubaneswar,” Pradhan wrote.

“The proposed flight will also help in further strengthening our bilateral relationship with UAE and bolster the business between two countries,” he added.