The state gets its third airport. Here’s more!

A license has been issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for setting up of a third airport in Odisha, in Rourkela. The decision is expected to pave way for connecting the steel city with the rest of the country. At present, Odisha has two airports, namely, Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar and Veer Surendra Sai Airport in Jharsuguda. Last April, a memorandum for operation and management had been inked between the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the Steel Authority of India (SAIL) in Rourkela. A clearance to the airstrip to be used for flight operations by the AAI under the Central Government's Regional Connectivity Scheme Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik (UDAN) had also been given by a delegation of the Civil Aviation Ministry. Besides, two new airports under the UDAN scheme at Jeypore in Koraput and Utkela in Kalahandi are reportedly on the cards.