In a first, the recently inaugurated Utkela Airport in Kalahandi district of Odisha welcomed its first 9-seater flight of IndiaOne Airlines from Bhubaneswar’s Biju Patnaik International Airport. After receiving the green light from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Utkela Airport welcomed its first flight on Thursday (August 31).

Departing from Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) in Bhubaneswar precisely at 7:15 AM on Thursday, the scheduled flight successfully reached Utkela Airport by 8:25 AM.

Subsequently, the identical aircraft embarked from Utkela at 8:50 AM, concluding its journey upon arrival at Bhubaneswar at 10 AM.

In a heartwarming gesture, thousands of people and several leaders from Kalahandi district and Bhubaneswar gathered at the newly launched Airport to welcome the flight.

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The Minister of Commerce & Transport Department, Tukuni Sahu became the first passenger to fly to Utkela from Bhubaneswar.

Scindia inaugurates Utkela Airport

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Minister of Civil Aviation and Steel Jyotiraditya Scindia on Thursday flagged off the first flight service between Bhubaneswar and Utkela in Kalahandi district. While the Civil Aviation Minister joined the event through video conferencing, CM Patnaik was present at the Biju Patnaik International Airport.

Scindia in his inaugural address said that the launch of this airport will reduce the time taken to travel by road which is nearly eight hours. Elaborating further, the Civil Aviation Minister said that this will be a new beginning for the Kalahandi region as economic activities will come up and generate a range of employment opportunities. 

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Meanwhile, MP Basanta Panda and BJD Rajyasabha MP Sujit Kumar thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for the vision.

Key features of Utkela airport

  • The Utkela airport is situated in Odisha’s Kalahandi district and is owned by the state government. 
  • Utkela Airport was built as a regional airport at a cost of Rs 31.07 crore under the Udan scheme of the central government. 
  • With the inauguration of Utkela Airport, the state now has a total of five airports.
  • It has a runway of length 917 metres (2,995 ft.) with a width of 30 metres. 
  • The recently launched Utkela – Bhubaneswar flight route will boost local air connectivity and contribute significantly to the region’s economic progress.
  • The operator would utilize 9-seater Cessna C-208 aircraft sanctioned under the UDAN scheme.