TNI Bureau: In view of welfare of commuters to and from Bhubaneswar – Dubai, Union Petroleum & Natural Gas, Steel Minister Dharmendra Pradhan urged the Centre for running a direct flight from Bhubaneswar to Dubai at the earliest.

In a letter to the Union Civil Aviation Minister, Hardeep Singh Puri, Dharmendra Pradhan requested him for his personal intervention in introducing direct flight.

At present, Bhubaneswar is connected internationally via direct flight to only one destination i.e. Bangkok since it was granted International Airport status. There has been a long-pending request from various quarters for introducing a direct flight from Bhubaneswar to Dubai, UAE, Pradhan said.

Pradhan further stated that more than 15,000 Odia people residing in different parts of the UAE who are forced to undertake an indirect route for travelling to Odisha.

Bhubaneswar is an educational healthcare, cultural and tourist hub with rich potential for medical tourism, cultural tourism and educational exchange programmes, mentioned in the letter.