The non-scheduled air transport operations introduced between Bhubaneswar and Ganjam on Tuesday is expected to boost tourist inflow to the beach resort town of Gopalpur-on-Sea.
Besides, the air service operations is also set to serve the corporate travelers visiting Ganjam district, especially Gopalpur where port and other industries are in the pipeline.
"The new air service will boost the tourist flow to Gopalpur. Moreover, with port and other industries set to come up in Ganjam district, the service would prove useful to the business travelers", said P Chakravarti, chief manager of New Delhi-based Global Avianautics Limited (GAL) that introduced the service.
The air service operations would be between the Bhubaneswar airport and the Rangeilunda airstrip near Gopalpur in Ganjam district. A six-seater, twin-engine aircraft named Piper Seneca V was pressed into service on Tuesday. The non-scheduled air transport (NSAT) operations were launched by V K Pandian, the Ganjam district collector.
The frequency of the operations would hinge on the requirement of the passengers.
GAL is currently operating the Government Aviation Training Institute (GATI) in Bhubaneswar. During the singing of memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the state government and GAL in 2008, the company had promised to introduce the NSAT operations in the state.
Meanwhile, Rs 27.29 crore is needed for the development of the Rangeilunda airstrip, according to P K Das, executive engineer (road and building), division-II, Berhampur. The proposal includes increasing the existing length of runway from 900 metres to 1800 metres, widening the runway as well as improvement of the approach road.