Odisha to get direct international flight from Bhubaneswar by March end

People of Odisha will be able to get a direct international flight from Bhubaneswar by the end of March. This comes after a MoU was signed between the state government and Air Asia in presence of Odisha Chief Secretary A P Padhi and Development Commissioner R Balakrishnan for direct international flights to Kuala Lumpur.

However, international cargo operations have already begun from Biju Patnaik International Airport.

Frequent fliers to South East Asian countries would have an option to fly from here and the state's tourism, economy, trade, hospitality sector and cultural exchange would witness an upward trend owing to the international connectivity with the city, officials said.

Value Added Tax on Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) has already been reduced to zero per cent for direct international flights.

Besides, the state government had allowed reasonable Viability Gap Funding (VGF) in the form of subsidy grant.

With PTI Inputs