Bhubaneswar: Air India (AI) has decided to resume flight operations between Bangkok and Bhubaneswar from December 1. The flight will run on its usual three-day-a-week schedule –Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.
A 162-seater Airbus 320neo aircraft was introduced by Air India December 10, 2017 for Bhubaneswar-Bangkok route. However, the flight was suspended July 16, 2018 due to ‘operational reasons’.
While the station manager of AI’s regional office in Bhubaneswar told the media that there was no such information on resumption of the flight, sources confirmed that the booking of tickets had already begun in Bhubaneswar and Bangkok.
The AI authorities, in a letter to the director of Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) July 16 had revealed about their decision to stop the Bhubaneswar-Bangkok flight and Bhubaneswar-Bengaluru flight till September 30 due to a management issue and asked the tour operators and travel agencies to stop the booking of tickets till the aforementioned date.
There have been reports that the Bhubaneswar-Bangkok flight was suspended and diverted for the Haj pilgrims to Riyadh in Saudi Arab. The AI will resume services on this route December 1 after the return of the pilgrims by the end of November.
The state government and the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Odisha (HRAO) had requested the Civil Aviation ministry to direct AI to restore flight operations along the route. However, no action was taken by the ministry.
Expressing concern over cancellation of the flight, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in a letter to Union Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu July 20 had said, “It was expected that AI would subsequently expand its operations to other destinations like Singapore, Indonesia and Sri Lanka. But the abrupt suspension of the existing operations has dealt a severe jolt to the aviation and tourism sector in the state. This apart, the withdrawal of the domestic flight between Bengaluru and Bhubaneswar has come as a setback for the IT industry of the state.”