Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government today issued a clarification with regard to the media reports claiming that direct air connection between Bhubaneswar and Dubai is set to be discontinued from October 24.

Private player IndiGo operates direct flight between Bhubaneswar and Dubai thrice a week. As per the aviation updates released by aviation analytics platform AeroRoutes, the Bhubaneswar-Dubai flight no longer appears in IndiGo’s operational list after October 24.

This omission is seen as a confirmation that the direct flight service between Bhubaneswar and Dubai will be withdrawn after October 24. However, the private airline has not issued an official statement in this connection.

In this context, Commerce and Transport Department Principal Secretary Usha Padhree today clarified that no international connectivity from Odisha has been discontinued.

“The state government was providing viability gap fund to IndiGo to operate the direct flight between Bhubaneswar and Dubai. The private airline has informed the state government that the ticket prices will go up significantly if there is no provision of viability gap fund. This will discourage the flyers and the airline may witness low business. We are discussing the issue with the authorities of IndiGo. We hope that the issue will be resolved soon,” Padhee said.

The senior bureaucrat also revealed that the state government is also in touch with the private airline for solution of similar issues with regard to its direct flight operation between Bhubaneswar and Singapore.

“The state government is holding discussions with IndiGo authorities. We will provide the viability gap fund and make all efforts for continuation of the direct flight services on these two international routes,” added Padhee.