Cuttack: The Dakota plane of the legendary statesman from Odisha, Biju Patnaik, reached Bhubaneswar today evening. The plane, dismantled into parts, is being ferried on three trailer trucks from Netaji Subash Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata to Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar.
The dismantled aircraft arrived in Bhubaneswar at around 5:30 pm after covering a distance of 440 kms. People thronged all along NH 16 from Kolkata to Laxman Nath toll gate (Odisha – West Bengal border), till the destination to catch a glimpse of the daredevil Biju’s aircraft.
In Cuttack, the plane was welcomed by local MLAs and the general public amid fanfare. The lorries were escorted by the Odisha Police vehicles along the route.
The dismantled Dakota (DC-3) VT-AUI aircraft will be reassembled and then positioned at a designated place at the international airport here named after Biju Patnaik, the father of Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
