With just hours to go before the first international flight of Air Asia arrival at the Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) here from Kuala lumpur at 11.25 pm on Wednesday, the airport was all decked up for the occasion.
Malaysian High Commissioner to India Dato Hidayat Abdul Hamid called on Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and held discussions regarding the event. later he said, “Bhubaneswar is becoming a Smart City. and we want to become part of it.”
Patnaik expressed his happiness over the development and said it would open up new opportunities of growth and economic development for youths of Odisha.
“I am delighted on the commencement of direct international flights from Biju Patnaik International Airport to Kuala lumpur Malaysia. This will open new horizons in our ties with Malaysia and the whole of South East Asia,” tweeted the Chief Minister, adding that it has placed Odisha in an exceptional advantageous position as gateway to the East and the Far East.
Patnaik said he was particularly happy as Odisha shares historic relationship with South East Asian countries since ancient times with the region that now has an easy and direct connectivity.
“Our people can experience the glorious legacy left behind by Kalinga’s Sadhavas there while people of Malaysia and other South East Asian countries can come here and experience the land and culture of Kalinga,” Patnaik tweeted.