BHUBANESWAR: The Airport Authority of India (AAI) has cancelled the licence of the low cost carrier for its irregular flight services. Sources said AAI cancelled the license of Air Odisha on November 19 alleging that the air carrier is not regularly operating its flight services under the Udan scheme citing various reasons, including technical glitches.
With this, Air Odisha flight service to all eastern regions, including Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand has been suspended.
The AAI cancelled the licence of Air Odisha as it could not fly 70 per cent of its flights during the last five months. The air carrier was given licence for flight operation in four states, said an official.
With this, Air Odisha flights from Bhubaneswar to Raipur and and from Raipur to Jagdalpur have been cancelled.
Congress MLA Naba Kishore Das had in October sat on a dharna in front of the Jharsuguda Airport demanding regular flight operation at the newly inaugurated Veer Surendra Sai (VSS) Airport in Jharsuguda. He had also written a letter to chief minister Naveen Patnaik seeking his intervention in this regard.
Besides, union petroleum and natural gas minister Dharmendra Pradhan had pitched for cancellation of licence of Air Odisha.
Later, the AAI had cautioned the air carrier to regularise it flight services. Since Air Odisha failed to regularise flight services, the AAI cancelled its licence on November 19, sources said.
