IndiGo will soon start international operations out of Bhubaneshwar, the capital city of the Indian state of Odisha. The flight to Dubai will be the first international flight out of the city and is expected to boost tourism and the state’s economy.
Bhubaneshwar-Dubai flight
IndiGo will start flying between Bhubaneswar (BBI) and Dubai (DXB) from May 15th. The flight will be slightly special as it will be the first scheduled international commercial service out of the state of Odisha, something that has been in the works for quite some time.
The state’s Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched the ticket sale last Saturday, and the one-way fare to Dubai is around ₹10,000 ($121). Patnaik commented,
“Connectivity is the key to development and it has been a focus area of our government. Direct connectivity with Dubai, which is one of the biggest aviation hubs, will open up a gateway to the world.”
Patnaik offered his gratitude to the country’s Minister of Civil Aviation, Jyotiraditya Scindia, for the new service and also informed that the first Dubai-bound flight will carry a delegation from the state.
Planning for months
Odisha has long called for direct international flights out of the state for the convenience of passengers. Currently, the only way to fly overseas for passengers originating in Odisha is to take a flight connection from other big cities such as Kolkata and Delhi. But the new IndiGo flight will make travel far more accessible and more economical for Odisha residents.
In November 2022, the Odisha state government invited a request for quotation (RFQ) and gave various airlines the option to operate international flights out of Bhubaneswar. Only IndiGo showed interest in operating flights to the three routes thrice a week. The other two destinations were Singapore and Bangkok, and flights to these two cities could also start soon.
Photo: BoeingMan777/Shutterstock
The Odisha government is doing all it can to make these flights a reality. It will bear all operational costs of these services but will also keep the revenue generated through ticket sales. To further incentivize these flights, the Odisha government has also eliminated VAT on aviation fuel for direct international flights out of the state.
New domestic flights
While there are a few more weeks before IndiGo starts the Bhubaneshwar-Dubai service, it has already commenced two new flights in its domestic network. On March 26th, the carrier began its maiden exclusive flight between Patna and Deoghar (another city in Odisha), which will operate four days a week, on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday.
Deoghar is known for its ancient temples and attracts millions of tourists a year, primarily as religious pilgrims. IndiGo is hoping that t many customers will benefit from this new connection, especially now that even religious tourism is reviving in India.
Photo: Roshan_Bhatia | Shutterstock
The other new domestic service by the airline is between Bengaluru and Aurangabad. The airline says that this new route has been introduced to cater to the increasing demand for direct connectivity between the destinations and will reduce travel time to one and a half hours.
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