Direct flights from Dubai to Bhubaneswar would be operated very soon, said Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik while addressing the Odia diaspora in Dubai on Wednesday.
The CM’s Private Secretary VK Pandian, present during the programme, informed that the Odisha Government has already proceeded with a viability gap funding plan for the Dubai-Bhubaneswar flight operations.
Around 1 lakh Odias live in the UAE. The direct air connectivity between Dubai and State capital Bhubaneswar has been a longstanding demand of UAE Odia expatriates.
Chief Secretary Suresh Mahapatra, who also attended the programme, said the Odisha Government gives subsidies to airlines willing to operate direct flights from Dubai to Bhubaneswar under the viability gap funding scheme.
Under the scheme, the Government provides subsidies to flight operators for a period of three to six months for new destinations. The flight operations are expected to become financially viable within that period of time. Subsequently, the operators won’t need the Government’s subsidy anymore, Mahapatra told media.
The scheme was introduced for international flights from Bhubaneswar to Malaysia and Thailand two years ago and was later extended to domestic flights.