The State Government has once again urged the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) to allow Dubai-based low-cost carrier Fly Dubai to start flights from the Biju Patnaik International Airport soon.
“As you are aware Fly Dubai has submitted an application for permission to operate international flights from Bhubaneswar. I would appreciate if provisional permission to “Fly Dubai” to start international flight operation from Bhubaneswar can be granted, pending finalisation of Bilateral Air Services Agreement,” Chief Secretary GC Pati wrote to MoCA Secretary V Somasundaran.
Pati again said, alternatively, Air India may be advised to start an international flight from Bhubaneswar as quickly as possible.
Earlier, after the Centre’s denial that it had received any request from Fly Dubai to start operation from the city, former Chief Secretary JK Mohapatra on July 17 last had urged the Union Ministry to reconsider inclusion of Bhubaneswar as a point of call in the Bilateral Air Services Agreement and grant permission to Fly Dubai to start operations from Bhubaneswar.
As the Union Civil Aviation Ministry had also mentioned that the UAE Government had not requested to include Bhubaneswar as a point of call in the Bilateral Air Services Agreement, the State Government forwarded to the Centre a letter of the flight operator seeking permission to start international flights from the city.
In its letter, the operator said, “Specifically with regard to the State of Odisha-with whose Government we have been in discussions to unlock the vast tourism and business potential of the State, we would like to reiterate our interests to commence scheduled international air services to its capital city Bhubaneswar from Dubai. While we do understand that Bhubaneswar falls outside the scope of the cities specified under the Air Services Agreement between Dubai and India, we would like to request the esteemed Ministry to kindly consider granting us permission exceptionally as a special case outside the bilateral agreement to operate to Bhubaneswar.”
The Gulf-based airline proposed to operate a daily flight of Boeing 737-800 with 174 seats - 12 business class and 162 economy class seats.
It should be noted that to attract commercial airlines to operate from the Biju Patnaik Airport and run commercial flights to other places of the State, the State Government had slashed the VAT rate on aviation turbine fuel (ATF) and aviation gasoline (AVGAS) to five per cent.