The much-awaited direct flight services between Bhubaneswar and Surat (Gujarat) commenced on Monday.
Carrying 180 passengers, the Air India flight took off at 8.40 am from the Biju Patnaik International Airport here. The air carrier arrived at Surat at 10.40 am. Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi was among the air passengers to have taken the first flight to Surat from Bhubaneswar.
As per the schedule, the Air India will operate the services from Bhubaneswar to Surat twice a week, i.e, Monday and Thursday. The flights from Surat will be available at 8.30 am on Fridays and Sundays and will reach Bhubaneswar at 10.30 am.
In another welcome move, new flight services between Bhubaneswar and Varanasi would begin from February 29.
It will operate daily, leaving Bhubaneswar at 9 pm and from Varanasi at 6.45 pm.
The direct Bhubaneswar-Varanasi connectivity would bring cheers to the travel and tour operators in the State apart from pilgrims and other citizens, who had been long demanding a direct service between the two cities.
Notably, there had been a longstanding demand for direct air connectivity between Bhubaneswar and Varanasi to attract Buddhist pilgrims to Odisha. Now with the introduction of the direct flight services, many Buddhist sites in the State are expected to witness an increase in the tourist inflow.
