Aircraft carrying Odisha CM diverted to Jharsuguda after hovering in mid-air for 30 minutes

Priya Ranjan Swain Published On : May 6, 2024 at 4:50 PM

Bhubaneswar: An aircraft carrying BJD supremo and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik could not land at Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) in the Odisha capital here due to nor’wester rain today.

The Chief Minister along with 5T chairman VK Pandian had boarded the B 200 GT VT-JMG aircraft at Utkela Airport in Kalahandi district after canvassing for the ruling BJD in Nuapada district ahead of the simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly polls in the state.

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The CM and the 5T chairman boarded the aircraft at around 1.30 pm to reach the BPIA here.

The aircraft could not land at BPIA due to nor’wester rain and gusty winds in the afternoon. It hovered over the capital city for around half-an-hour before being diverted to Veer Surendra Sai Airport at Jharsuguda.

The aircraft finally landed safely at Jharsuguda airport. It will return to the capital city after getting green signal from the authorities concerned, sources said.