6 flight schedules from March 12 to 29 announced

Berhampur: Amidst uncertainty and criticism from various quarters over the flight schedule of air travel to Bhubaneswar from Rangeilunda airstrip located near Berhampur University campus, the State Department of Commerce and Transport has issued flight schedules and timings of the nine-seater IndiaOne Air from March 12 to 29. The Ganjam district administration has initiated steps for advanced ticket booking for the air travel from Rangeilunda to Bhubaneswar during which the plane would touch Rangeilunda airstrip for six days on March 12, 15, 19, 22, 26 and 29.

The charges of the airfare from Rangeilunda to Bhubaneswar would be Rs 1,200 plus additional tax, said Ganjam Collector Dibya Jyoti Parida. For advanced booking from Rangeilunda, one can contact Senior Assistant Uddhav Sethi of Ganjam Collectorate (mobile number 8280085437), the district administration said. The flight will take almost one hour from Rangeilunda airstrip to Bhubaneswar. The scheduled time of departure of the plane from Rangeilunda to Bhubaneswar is 10.25 am on March 12, 10.15 am on March 15, 10.20 am on March 19, 10.25 am on March 22, 10.20 am on March 26 and 10.15 am on March 29, sources said.

A non-scheduled flight of IndiaOne Air took off for the first time from Rangeilunda to Bhubaneswar on March 5, the birth anniversary of legendary former chief minister Biju Patnaik, followed by another non-scheduled flight on March 6. IndiaOne Air is the first scheduled airline in India to operate a single-engine aircraft. The airline aims to connect tier 2 & 3 cities with metropolitan cities and provide safe, efficient, cost-effective and on-time services. It has nine pax seats with a maximum speed limit of 350 kmph.

"We are determined to upgrade Rangeilunda airstrip to operate 19-seater planes by developing infrastructure which is expected to be completed by October next. Rangeilunda airstrip is presently having 800-metre plus long runway and we are planning to extend it up to 1,000 metres by acquiring 15 acres of adjoining private land. An irrigation canal passing through the area would also be diverted for which the process has already been started," the Ganjam Collector said. Rangeilunda airstrip, established in the British era during the Second World War, was used only on handful of occasions for flight operations.