While talks are going on with the Air India (AI) authorities to start flights from Jharsuguda, the Government of Odisha has urged the AI to make the present Bhubaneswar-New Delhi direct evening flight a hopping one to make landing at Jharsuguda and then fly back to New Delhi.
Principal Secretary General Administration, Ashok Kumar Meena, who is looking after Civil Aviation Affairs in the State Government, is in touch with senior Air India officials in this regard.
The State Government has proposed the AI to turn Bhubaneswar-New Delhi flight a hopping flight by making it Bhubaneswar-Jharsuguda-New Delhi so that people of western Odisha, instead going to Raipur for catching a New Delhi flight will be able to avail the facility from new airport, said Meena.
Now the airport at Jharsuguda is ready to take commercial flights and after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the facility on September 22, demand is growing to start commercial flights from the Veer Surendra Sai (VSS) Airport immediately.
Officials informed that the State Government is ready to share the burden of fuel and time cost for landing at Jharsuguda and time cost of flying back to New Delhi.
Once this will be worked out and finalised, then both may agree for such a hoping flight between Bhubaneswar-Jharsuguda-New Delhi.
In the meantime, the Alliance Air has asked for special funding to start flight from Jharsuguda. The Alliance Air, a subsidiary of Air India, is asking Viability Gap Funding (VGF) to fly its flights from Jharsuguda.
As the Government of Odisha is providing VGF to the Air Asia to fly international flights from Bhubaneswar to Kuala Lumpur, similar funding has been asked by the Alliance Air. But its proposal is costly and the State Government is not in a mood to accept it, said sources.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) is also in touch with the Government of Odisha regarding activating UDAN Programme from Jharsuguda.
While in the first phase of UDAN finalisation, the Air Odisha was allowed to fly flights from Jharsuguda, however, all on a sudden the private airline has stopped the flight.
So there are no flights from Jharsuguda, though it was included in UDAN Phase I. The State Government has approached the MoCA to include Jharsuguda in UDAN Phase III, for which bidding process will start soon.
Officials feel that as the Jharsuguda Airport has developed to a full-fledged airport and it is the commercial capital of western Odisha, which has large number of industrial establishments and huge coal mining sector, more number of private operators will show interest in the airport to fly their carriages.
MoCA Joint Secretary Usha Padhee and DoGA Principal Secretary Ashok Meena are in touch with each other for starting an Air India flight from Jharsuguda, said sources.