Parliament Question: Air connectivity in Odisha

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. : 193 TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 2nd February 2026 AIR CONNECTIVITY IN ODISHA 193. SHRI DEBASHISH SAMANTARAY Will the Minister of CIVIL AVIATION be pleased to state:- (a) the present status of air connectivity to Bhubaneswar, Jharsuguda and Rourkela; (b) routes operational under the UDAN scheme in the State of Odisha; (c) steps taken to improve regional air connectivity in tribal and backward districts; (d) passenger traffic growth at the State of Odisha airports during the last three years; and (e) whether new airports or heliports are proposed in the State? ANSWER Minister of State in the Ministry of CIVIL AVIATION (Shri Murlidhar Mohol) (a): The present status of air connectivity for Bhubaneswar and Jharsuguda Airport is provided at Annexure - A. (b) & (c): Under the Regional Connectivity Scheme - Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik (RCS- UDAN), four (04) airports in the State of Odisha, namely, Jharsuguda, Rourkela, Utkela, and Jeypore, have been operationalised. Additionally, Rangeilunda, Amarda, and Rairangpur (Dandabose) airstrips in Odisha have been identified for development under the UDAN scheme. Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) - UDAN is an ongoing scheme wherein bidding rounds are conducted from time to time to cover more destinations and routes under the scheme. Revival / up-gradation of unserved and underserved airports is undertaken upon their identification through a valid bid and award to the Selected Airline Operator (SAO). Further, the following airstrips in Odisha are listed as unserved airstrips in the UDAN document: Angul, Barbil, Birasal, Gudari, Hirakud, Jayakpur, Lanjigarh, Nawapara, Padampur, Raisuan, Sukinda, Theruboli, Tushra, Malkangiri, Baripada, and Konark. If any valid bid is received in the future for the operation of RCS flights connecting the above- mentioned airstrips in Odisha, the same shall be considered in accordance with the provisions of the RCS-UDAN document.(d): The passenger handled at airports in Odisha and the growth rate during the last three years is provided in Annexure B. (e): In-principle approval has been granted by the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) to the Government of Odisha for the development of an international greenfield airport at Puri on 06.05.2025. ******Annexure-A The present flight connectivity at Bhubaneswar & Jharsuguda airport Airport Airlines Name City Connected Sum of Weekly Movements Bhubaneswar Indigo, Star Air, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, 706 (DOM) Air India, Air Mumbai, Kolkata, Dehradun, India Express, Delhi, Guwahati, Goa Mopa, Akasa, India Shamshabad, Indore, Prayagraj, One Ranchi, Chennai, Durgapur, Raipur, Varanasi, Vizag, Jamshedpur, Jeypore, Rourkela, Utkela, Cochin, Port Blair, Pune, Jharsuguda Jharsuguda Indigo, Alliance Bangalore, Mumbai, Kolkata, 98 Air, Star Air Delhi, Bhubaneswar, Shamshabad, LucknowAnnexure - B Sector wise, City-wise Passengers (in numbers) carried with growth to and from Odisha for the last three Financial year 2022-23 to 2024-25 SECTOR To/From 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 BHUBANESHWAR 36,61,206 44,92,703 46,00,423 JHARSUGUDA 2,15,156 2,35,210 2,99,651 Domestic JEYPORE 2,837 7,498 7,602 ROURKELA 3,726 13,217 27,069 UTKELA 623 1,677 (A) Total Scheduled Domestic Passengers 38,82,925 47,49,251 49,36,422 Growth Domestic Passengers 22.3% 3.9% International BHUBANESHWAR 96,729 1,21,844 (B) Total Scheduled International Passengers 96,729 1,21,844 Growth International Passengers 26.0% Total Passengers (A)+(B) 38,82,925 48,45,980 50,58,266 Overall Growth 24.8% 4.4%