By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, October 20, 2022: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Thursday granted Jeypore Airport the licence to carry out commercial flight operations under the regional connectivity scheme.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik welcomed the development. “It will fulfill people’s aspirations of this region and give a boost to connectivity, commerce and tourism,” his office said.

Jeypore became the “first” state-owned airport to get the licence, the CMO said. “Jeypore will be connected to Bhubaneswar and Visakhapatnam through daily flights,” the CMO added. The Maoist-affected district boasts of several tourist spots, including Deomali the highest mountain peak of the state.

Describing it as a “milestone”, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said the airport, 33 km northwest of Koraput town and around 500 km southwest of Bhubaneswar, would boost tourism and development of the region.

“Jeypore Airport of Odisha gets the license to carry out scheduled air operations under #UDAN,” the ministry tweeted, along with a copy of the aerodome licence issued to Odisha. “This license authorizes the aerodrome to be used as (a) regular place of landing and departure,” according to the note by the DGCA.

It added that the licence would be liable to suspension, modification or withdrawal if the provisions of the Aircraft Act and the Aircraft Rules were violated.

Ahmedabad-based IndiaOne Air would commence flight operations between Bhubaneswar and Jeypore very soon, it stated. The regional airline had conducted a trial flight earlier this year.

The airport can boost the trade for the district’s indigenous products, including the famous organic Koraput Coffee. Additional civil aviation secretary Usha Padhee said she was “happy to see the licence come through”.

“Kudos to team #Odisha & @AAI_Official! Wish to see the #UDAN flights fly to Jeypore soonest. #Koraput, the tribal heartland, is so dear a place to me,” she tweeted.