Bhubaneswar: No international flights are currently operating from the Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) in Bhubaneswar, known as the main air gateway of Odisha, Commerce and Transport Minister Bibhuti Bhushan Jena informed the Assembly on Thursday.
The minister was replying to a question raised by BJD MLA Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo. According to the minister, the number of domestic destinations connected from Bhubaneswar airport has also come down significantly. While there were 33 domestic destinations in 2025, the number has reduced to 19 in 2026.
Services on domestic routes like Indore, Dehradun, Kochi, Pune and Goa have been stopped at various times. There has also been a major change in international connectivity, Jena said.
Earlier, there were direct flights from Bhubaneswar to Dubai, Singapore, Abu Dhabi and Bangkok. The Dubai and Singapore services were discontinued due to low passenger demand and commercial non-viability of the routes. Abu Dhabi services have also been withdrawn.
The minister said apart from low demand, factors such as airlines’ business profitability, low passenger load factor, operational issues and seasonal demand have affected the services. The state government had earlier provided Viability Gap Funding (VGF) assistance to continue the Dubai and Singapore routes.
Now, IndiGo is planning to start direct flights from Bhubaneswar to Bangkok from October 1, 2026, the minister added.
