Flights will be operated on a daily basis, an Airports Authority official said. (Representational)
Air India's subsidiary, Alliance Air, on Wednesday, started flight operations between Jharsuguda and Bhubaneswar.
The flights between the two destinations were operated under the Centre's ''Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik'' (UDAN) scheme, the director of Veer Surendra Sai Airport (Jharsuguda), Sudesh Kumar Chouhan, said.
A total of 72 passengers travelled from Bhubaneswar to Jharsuguda, while 54 passengers took the return flight from Jharsuguda to Bhubaneswar, he said. Mr Chouhan said that the airline's flight AI-9727 departed from Bhubaneswar at 9.05 am and reached Jharsuguda at 10.10 am, while the return flight AI-9719 took off from Jharsuguda at 10.35 am and reached Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) in Bhubaneswar at 11.35 am.
The flights will be operated on a daily basis, an Airports Authority of India (AAI) official said.
Bargarh MP Suresh Pujari, Odisha Health & Family Welfare Minister Naba Kishore Das, Brajrajnagar MLA Kishore Mohanty and Joint Secretary of Ministry of Civil Aviation, Usha Padhee, were present on the occasion.
The director also informed that Alliance Air is scheduled to start flights between Jharsuguda and Raipur on Wednesday evening.