Bhubaneswar: The suspension of Bhubaneswar-Singapore flight from March 31 and several other domestic flights have left tour operators across Odisha in deep uncertainty with many reporting a sharp dip in bookings and revenue. The 4-hour flight from Bhubaneswar to Singapore was a crucial link for both leisure travellers and business passengers. Services to Indore, Dehradun, Pune, Goa and Kochi have also been discontinued. The direct flight to Dubai was cancelled on March 1.Travel agencies and tour planners say the sudden halt has disrupted their business model, as Singapore was among the most popular international destinations for Odia travellers. The route had been operating with govt viability-gap funding support. “The Singapore and Dubai routes were among the most profitable sectors for us. With both gone and several domestic routes also cancelled, our monthly revenue has dropped drastically,” said Chinmaya Panda, a Bhubaneswar-based travel agent.Another operator, Anurag Sahoo said customers are now forced to travel via Kolkata or Visakhapatnam that has led to cost escalation and increase in journey time. “Earlier, passengers preferred Bhubaneswar because of direct connectivity. Now many are choosing to start their journey from other cities and we are losing clients,” he said. “We have urged both the state govt and airlines to prioritise restoration of key routes to maintain Bhubaneswar’s status as an emerging aviation hub,” added Sahoo.“The govt keeps talking about developing Bhubaneswar as an aviation hub, but in reality we are losing flights one after another. We are now forced to travel to Kolkata or Visakhapatnam just to catch international flights. This shows a complete lack of planning and support from the authorities,” said Soumya Ranjan Patra, a frequent flyer and IT professional. “If this trend continues, Odisha will lose out on tourism, business travel and international exposure. Immediate steps are needed to revive these routes and stabilise the sector,” said Biyot Prajna Tripathy, a member of FICCI,Tourism minister Pravati Parida said some routes were discontinued due to operational and commercial reasons of the airlines. “We are in constant coordination with carriers to reintroduce flights at the earliest,” she added.
