Tuesday, April 02, 2019

Wait continues for Rourkela airport opening

Rourkela: The wait for restoration of commercial flight service from the ready to use Rourkela airport run by RSP under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) UDAN continues to lengthen. Blame it on the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and its Airport Authority of India (AAI) for their snail’s pace to address technicalities. After resumption of regular flight services from the adjacent VSS airport at Jharsuguda on Sunday, all eyes are now on Rourkela.

Sources in RSP said the successful bidder for RCS for the Rourkela route does not have own aircraft and it is in the process of organising flights operation from May-end. The RSP has met all commitments and the ball is in the court of the AAI and flight operator, they added.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in first week of January had replaced the private licence of Rourkela airport with commercial licence to pave way for commercial use of the airport.After the MoCA tweeted about granting of licence by DGCA to Rourkela airport on January 7, Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan in his tweet said, “Thanks Shri @sureshpprabhu ji & the #DGCA for issuing a licence for the third airport at the steel city of Rourkela in Odisha.

An airport in the industrial capital of #Odisha will enhance connectivity and benefit both passengers as well as industries surrounding Rourkela.”In a parallel development, the AAI has recently deployed its personnel for airport and terminal management, and air traffic control. Sources said success potential of regular flights on Rourkela route is under scanner with the bidder lacking its own aircraft. Apprehension remains as the Air Odisha Aviation Pvt Ltd (now blacklisted by AAI) also did not have its own aircraft and due to its erratic ways, it failed on the Rourkela route in recent years.
02/04/19 New Indian Express
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