PM inaugurates Odisha’s second airport at Jharsuguda

Jharsuguda airport, Odisha

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new airport in Jharsuguda, named after freedom fighter Veer Surendra Sai.

The first flight took off from the airport today with 10 passengers, including four differently abled children and three crew members (a pilot, an assistant pilot and a flight attendant). The Air Odisha plane flew to Raipur minutes after the inauguration function.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had earlier wrote to the Union Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu, requesting him to name the Jharsuguda airport after the freedom fighter, who hails from the region.

Veer Surendra Sai Airport is the second operational airport in Odisha after Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar. It is also the 32nd airport under the UDAN project by the central ministry.

“After programmes in Talcher, I am glad to be in Jharsuguda to inaugurate an airport and other development projects. These development works will greatly benefit the people of Odisha. India’s aviation sector is being transformed rapidly. This promises well for the 125 crore Indians,” said the Prime Minister on the inaugural function.

The Jharsuguda airport, the first airport made operational in western Odisha, has been developed at a cost of Rs 210 crore. It will provide connectivity between Bhubaneswar, Raipur and Ranchi and other parts of the country also.