Bhubaneswar airport to start operating direct flights to Abu Dhabi, BA

From June onwards, the Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) will start operating direct flights to Abu Dhabi.

“Since its launch in May 2023, the direct flights to Dubai are booked to capacity and going by that trend, one can expect the same in case of Abu Dhabi flights as well,” BPIA director Prasanna Pradhan said.

Direct connectivity to two Middle East destinations means it opens the gateway to Gulf countries, the whole of Europe, North America and Canada with just one layover.

“The footfall in Bangkok and Singapore flights is also impressive. In international as well as domestic operations, BPIA is growing with new destinations adding up. Since 2022, many new cities have been connected with Bhubaneswar, thus expanding the domestic air traffic as well,” Pradhan added.

Three more domestic destinations – Ghaziabad, Port Blair and Goa – will be connected to the capital city from April, thus taking the total number of domestic destinations to 28. Once flights run for the three new destinations, the airport’s total departures in a day will rise to 56 and equal arrivals. The arrivals and departures include single destinations having multiple flights, airport sources said.

“The flight to Kuala Lumpur should resume as it was recording impressive bookings. Also, the Dubai flight should be made a daily one. Connectivity to more international destinations means more business, tourism, knowledge sharing and opportunities in every field,” frequent flyer Sanjib Guru said.

In 2024, BPIA registered a 26.9 per cent growth in passenger footfall, compared to 2023. The target of achieving five million annual footfall in 2024 (calendar year) was not possible because between Oct and Dec, the footfall was almost on par with that of 2023 in the corresponding period, indicating a slow growth. “In 2025, we will be able to achieve the five million annual footfall target with more flights for overseas and domestic operations coming up,” Pradhan added.

In 2022-23, the city airport recorded 30,745 aircraft movements (scheduled operations), but in 2023-24, it went up to 35,368 aircraft.