Civil Aviation Minister Inaugurates Utkela Airport and Direct Flight between Utkela and Bhubaneswar

Tags: State News

Minister of Civil Aviation, Jyotiraditya M. Scindia and Minister of State, Ministry of Civil Aviation, General Vijay Kumar Singh (Retd) inaugurated the Utkela Airport and a new flight route connecting Utkela and Bhubaneswar through video conferencing.

An Overview of the News

• Utkela Airport, owned by the Government of Odisha, has been set up as a regional airport under the UDAN scheme of the Ministry of Civil Aviation with a project cost of Rs 31.07 crore.

• The airport has a 917-metre (2,995 ft) runway and a runway width of 30 metres, which contributes to better regional connectivity.

• This increases the number of airports in Odisha to five, underscoring efforts to boost transport infrastructure.

Increase in connectivity through Utkela-Bhubaneswar flight route

• The newly launched Utkela-Bhubaneswar flight route, operated by IndiaOne, is set to strengthen regional air connectivity and boost economic growth in the region.

• This route will be operated by 9-seater Cessna C-208 aircraft, which is a part of the UDAN scheme initiative.

• The travel time between Utkela and Bhubaneswar, which usually takes about 8 hours by road, will now be reduced to just one hour and twenty minutes by air.

Economic benefits and development for Kalahandi region

• The new Utkela-Bhubaneswar air connection is set to stimulate economic activities and create many employment opportunities in the Kalahandi region.

• Collaboration between the Central Government and the Government of Odisha in advancing civil aviation infrastructure was highlighted as an important step towards development.

About Odisha

• Formation - April 1, 1936

• Capital -Bhubaneswar

• Districts - 30 (3 divisions)

• Governor - Ganeshi Lal

• Chief Minister - Naveen Patnaik