Air Odisha launches flights from Vizag to Jagdalpur via Raipur

Mumbai: Scheduled commuter airline Air Odisha on Thursday commenced services to Chhattisgarh from Andhra Pradesh with the launch of a flight to Jagdalpur from Visakhapatnam through Raipur.

The services launched under the Udan regional connectivity scheme of the central government were inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi through video conferencing, Air Odisha said in a release.

With Jagdalpur now connected by air from capital city Raipur, the travel distance between the two cities now gets reduced to 40 minutes, against 15 hours by a train or six to seven hours by a road journey, the release added.

The airfare for a single-way journey has been kept at Rs 1,670, which is in line with the Rs 2,500 ticket price fixed for a one-hour journey under the Udan scheme, it said.

"We are happy to announce the launch of our new routes in Chhattisgarh connecting with Andhra Pradesh. The Udan is a flagship scheme initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to spur economic growth and make air travel more affordable," said Shaishav Shah, managing director, Air Odisha Aviation, and executive director, GSEC.

Ahmedabad-based GSEC and Monarch Networth Capital had last year acquired majority stake in Air Odisha.