Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today urged the Centre to introduce direct flights between Bhubaneswar and Dubai.
In a letter to Hardeep Singh Puri, the Minister of State (independent charge) of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Housing and Urban Affairs, the Chief Minister said, as Odisha has been witnessing rise in passenger traffic to various international destinations due to increase in industrial activity and tourist footfalls.
Many international airlines have also evinced interest in starting operations from Biju Patnaik International Airport. But due to restrictions on landing rights, they are unable to start operations, the CM said.
Due to absence of direct flights to Dubai and the Middle East, passengers are facing immense difficulty in reaching Odisha and vice versa.
As Dubai is the hub for international passengers, direct flights from Dubai will help tourists to reach Odisha easily. Though Air India has a flight from Bhubaneswar to Dubai via Delhi, it is a time consuming one. Hence, a need for direct flight is needed keeping in view the growing demand of the people of Odisha, Naveen insisted.
The Chief Minister requested the minister to impress upon Air India or any other International Airlines to start direct flights from Bhubaneswar.