As a part of Jharkhand’s initiative of improving air connectivity with tier two cities, Ranchi will get direct flights to Lucknow and Bhubaneswar this month – the first to both the cities. Indigo Airlines is set to launch direct passenger flight service to Lucknow four days a week in the first week of August, while Alliance Air will start flights connecting Kolkata, Ranchi and Bhubaneswar from August 11, officials from the Birsa Munda Airport said on Monday.

The Indigo flight to Lucknow will be the first direct flight to any of the cities in Uttar Pradesh from Ranchi, the only city with an operational airport in the State. As per details shared by the airline company, the flight will take off from Lucknow at 10.55am and land in Ranchi at 12.05pm. It will again take off from Ranchi with about 70 passengers at 12.45 pm and land in Lucknow at 1.40pm.

“Direct flights to Lucknow will begin in the first week of August. The dates have not been announced by the airlines yet. We will also have direct flights to Bhubaneshwar this month,” said Airport Director, Vinod Sharma.

Alliance Air is set to operate new flights on the Kolkata-Ranchi-Bhubaneswar route. The company will use its 70-seater aircraft for the service and this will be the first ever direct flight to Bhubaneshwar from the Capital City.

 "Flight 9I 720 will depart from Kolkata at 0800 hrs and arrive in Ranchi at 0940 hrs further departing from Ranchi at 1010 hrs and arrive in Bhubaneswar at 1115hrs," a communique from the airlines company stated. “Flight 9I 719 will depart from Bhubaneswar at 1145 hrs and arrive in Ranchi at 1250 hrs further departing from Ranchi at 1315 hrs & arrive in Kolkata at 1450 hrs,” it further stated.

The business community in Jharkhand had a long-pending demand of starting direct flights to Lucknow, sources said. The Airport Advisory Committee (AAC), which also includes Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha members, had stressed on starting flights to tier two cities from Ranchi, and the new flights have been launched as a part of the initiative.

The Federation of Jharkhand Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FJCCI) has been pressing for new flight services from Ranchi, while the transport department has held several meetings in the past with the focus on connecting Ranchi to tier two cities like Guwahati, Trivandrum, Bhubaneswar and Chandigarh by air.The Airport Authority of India (AAI) stated that the passenger traffic at the Ranchi airport had dropped down to 57,749 in the month of June last year, when travel restrictions were relaxed after strict lockdown since March. The passenger traffic shot up to 1,41,268 in November when more flights were allowed to ply, the AAI stated, lauding the airport staff here for their dedication. The State capital was likely to get more flights earlier this year, but the second wave of Covid-19 caused a delay in the process, officials said.

At present, at least 20 flights connect Ranchi to New Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.