Carrier pulls plug on air link from Bhubaneswar to Jharsuguda, 10th airport to fall from capital map

Bhubaneswar: Yet another destination has dropped off the radar, dealing a big blow to the state’s aviation sector. On Sunday, air connectivity between Bhubaneswar and Jharsuguda, an industrial hub in western Odisha, was snapped after the lone carrier, Star Air, withdrew its service, leaving passengers and officials worried over shrinking air links with the state capital.

Jharsuguda becomes the 10th domestic destination to be derostered from Bhubaneswar. Earlier, nine domestic destinations were dropped from the capital’s network — Indore, Dehradun, Jaipur, Lucknow, Goa, MOPA, Port Blair, Cochin and Hindon — besides two international ones, underlining the widening gap between aviation plans and actual services on the ground, civil aviation experts observed. The city now has air links with 18 cities, with Singapore being the lone international destination.

The suspension of flight to Jharsuguda comes at a time when there has been much discussion on expanding civil aviation infrastructure and flight services in Odisha.

Officials said the route had been witnessing strong passenger demand. “Jharsuguda-Bhubaneswar (70-seater) flight was booked to capacity every day. The airline cited commercial reasons for stopping the operation. We hope that it resumes soon,” said U N Dhaundia, director in-charge, Veer Surendra Sai Airport, Jharsuguda.

The Bhubaneswar-Jharsuguda air link had emerged as a crucial route for corporate executives, senior govt officers, professionals and businessmen travelling between the state capital and key western Odisha towns such as Sambalpur, Bargarh, Balangir and Jharsuguda. The short flight significantly cut travel time and offered a practical alternative to long journey by road.

“For regular fliers, the sudden withdrawal has come as a shock, especially because it is expected to sharply rise travel costs and inconvenience. The route used to benefit passengers arriving from Delhi and other cities. They could fly into Jharsuguda and then quickly connect to Bhubaneswar for onward travel to Cuttack and industrial centres such as Jajpur and Paradip. With the service now discontinued, such passengers will have to depend on lengthy road travel to Bhubaneswar or first travel by road to Rourkela and then board the still-operational Rourkela-Bhubaneswar flight. This additional leg is likely to increase both travel time and expenses,” said hotelier Debashis Patnaik.

The latest disruption has renewed concerns over the fragility of Odisha’s regional air network. “For western Odisha, the loss of the Bhubaneswar-Jharsuguda flight is not merely the suspension of one route, but a blow to business mobility, administrative access and regional integration within the state,” said Radheshyam Sharma, a businessman who was frequent traveller on this route.



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