Airports Authority of India (AAI) has cancelled the UDAN contract of private airline Air Odisha for Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, citing the airline’s poor performance in the central government's regional connectivity scheme.
Air Odisha, through an agreement with AAI, had to operate 70 per cent of planned flights in three months, but the low-cost airline hardly managed to keep its commitment.
“A letter (of termination) has been sent to Air Odisha issued by our corporate headquarters who had an agreement for RCS (regional connectivity scheme) operations in these states”, said SC Hota, director of Bhubaneswar’s Biju Patnaik International Airport.
Air Odisha officials could not be reached for comments.
Sources said that Air Odisha had financial, crew and aircraft-related problems that constrained it from flying in the three-state network. The cancellation also puts in doubt the viability of the newly built Jharsuguda airport. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched the airport on September 22 by flagged off an inaugural flight under the UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) scheme.
The civil aviation ministry had slapped a show-cause notice on Air Odisha for discontinuing flight from the Jharsuguda airport.
Jharsuguda Congress legislator Naba Das had asked Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s to take up the matter with the Civil Aviation Ministry and make Air Odisha regularise flights from the Jharsuguda airport.
Patnaik had requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to direct the Civil Aviation Ministry for the restoration of flight operations from Jharsuguda airport.
Air Odisha, through an agreement with AAI, had to operate 70 per cent of planned flights in three months, but the low-cost airline hardly managed to keep its commitment.
“A letter (of termination) has been sent to Air Odisha issued by our corporate headquarters who had an agreement for RCS (regional connectivity scheme) operations in these states”, said SC Hota, director of Bhubaneswar’s Biju Patnaik International Airport.
Air Odisha officials could not be reached for comments.
Sources said that Air Odisha had financial, crew and aircraft-related problems that constrained it from flying in the three-state network. The cancellation also puts in doubt the viability of the newly built Jharsuguda airport. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched the airport on September 22 by flagged off an inaugural flight under the UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) scheme.
The civil aviation ministry had slapped a show-cause notice on Air Odisha for discontinuing flight from the Jharsuguda airport.
Jharsuguda Congress legislator Naba Das had asked Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s to take up the matter with the Civil Aviation Ministry and make Air Odisha regularise flights from the Jharsuguda airport.
Patnaik had requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to direct the Civil Aviation Ministry for the restoration of flight operations from Jharsuguda airport.
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