Jharsuguda-airport

By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, January 19, 2017 : Five airstrips in Odisha will be made operational under the regional connectivity scheme (RCS) christened as UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) scheme very soon, according to the union minister of state for civil aviation Jayant Sinha.

The five destinations in the state are – Bhubaneswar, Jeypore, Jharsuguda, Rourkela (SAIL) and Utkela (Kalahandi).

“The first RCS flight is expected to be operated by late February or early March. We have received a very encouraging response from operators to the RCS. In the first phase of bidding under the RCS, the AAI (Airports Authority of India), which is the implementing agency for the scheme, has received 43 initial proposals from 11 bidders covering 190 RCS routes,” Sinha said while speaking to media persons at New Delhi.

The UDAN scheme aims to provide air connectivity to un-served and remote routes with airfare being capped at Rs 2,500 for an hour’s journey of around 500 km.