Kesinga: Air connectivity between western Odisha and the state capital is set to improve significantly as daily flight services between Utkela Airport in Kalahandi district and Bhubaneswar will commence from May 25.
According to IndiaOne Air, the route, which initially operated twice a week and was later expanded to six days a week, will now have two flights operating every day in both directions.
The flight journey between Utkela and Bhubaneswar takes about an hour and 10 minutes, compared with approximately 12 hours by train from Titilagarh to Bhubaneswar.
The airline said the fare for the Utkela–Bhubaneswar flight is Rs 3,287.
Under the new schedule, the first flight will depart Bhubaneswar at 5:50am and arrive in Utkela at 7am.
The return flight will leave Utkela at 7:15am and reach Bhubaneswar at 8:20am.
The second flight will depart Bhubaneswar at 11:20am and arrive in Utkela at 12:30pm.
It will then leave Utkela at 12:45pm and land in Bhubaneswar at 1:55pm.
The development has been welcomed by residents and travellers.