Jharsuguda airport to start operations by June

Jharsuguda Airport has received DGCA licence and said it will commence flight operations from June 14. Air Odisha, which bagged the bid, will operate flights from Jharsuguda to Bhubaneswar, Ranchi and Raipur thereby meeting the long-standing demands for air-connectivity to the Western Odisha region.

The airline will use a 21-seater dual-engine Beechcraft aircraft (1900D) to operate from Jharsuguda to the three destinations under the regional connectivity scheme. “We received Jharsuguda Airport’s commercial operations licence on May 4. We are taking a month’s time before starting the operations for marketing purposes,” said an Air Odisha spokesperson.

Air Odisha will operate one flight each daily from Jharsuguda to Bhubaneswar, Raipur and Ranchi. The flights from Bhubaneswar will proceed towards Raipur via Jharsuguda. Similarly, flights from Bhubaneswar will proceed towards Ranchi via Jharsuguda.

The airlines will charge Rs 1,800 to Rs 2,000 under UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) Scheme towards airfare from Jharsuguda to Bhubaneswar and vice-versa. Air Odisha will offer 50 per cent seats at low fare under the UDAN scheme and the charges for remaining seats will be based on the market price.