The winter schedules of international airlines are out but Biju Patnaik Airport, which was accorded international airport status recently, has not found a place among the tourist destinations yet.
The November-February period is when the international tourists head to Odisha given its tropical climate but the international airport status has not apparently enthused many of the airliners yet. Major tour operators were disappointed not to find Biju Patnaik Airport as destination in the computer reservation system (CRS).
In fact, a few days after Biju Patnaik Airport was accorded international status, the airport authority had claimed that four international airlines had sought permissions to operate directly from Abu Dhabi (Qatar Airways), Singapore (Silk Air), Bangkok (Indigo) and Dubai (Fly Dubai).
“If the airlines were interested to operate, they could have started reflecting Bhubaneswar as a destination as it requires substantial publicity before bookings can actually resume but it has not happened. So, we will have to keep our fingers crossed,” said Ashok Das of Globe Forex, a leading operator of the City.
Director of Biju Patnaik International Airport Sharad Kumar admitted that the airlines have not yet started reflecting Bhubaneswar as their destination but asserted that they would whenever they want. The Airport Authority of India and State Government, he said, are taking measures to woo the airlines to come to State and a meeting in this regard will be held at New Delhi on November 26.
“We have already fianlised the immigration and customs formalities for the Biju Patnaik Airport and when the meeting takes place, we will take the opportunity to tell the airlines that we have readied the necessary infrastructure for international operators. The State Government will present what it has to offer,” he told this paper. About 20 operators and agencies have been asked to take part in the meeting.
Hospitality industry majors, however, say convincing the international airlines to operate from Bhubaneswar will take time because the State Government needs to prepare a roadmap as well as a revenue model to keep them interested. It is imperative to understand the affinity of tourists – from their point of origin – for the State.
According to Travel Agents Association of Odisha president Benjamin Simon, the State Government needs to plan it well because Odisha does not have any strong business ties with Middle East, Thailand or Singapore to ensure a flow of travellers. To make up for this, cultural links have to be established and collaborations made beforehand.
“The Government has to present them a roadmap for next five or ten years clearly stating how the airlines will stand to benefit and what the State will offer. It may have to involve in dialogues with the governments of those countries too. The assurances are very critical because it is a high revenue business and if any operator backs out after making a foray, it will leave a bad taste in the mouth,” Simon pointed out.
The tourism sector of the State has seen a consistent growth of about 9 per cent in domestic tourist inflow but the rate of rise in foreign tourist footfalls has dropped from 18 per cent in 2011-12 to 4.3 per cent in 2012-13.
Winter schedules out, Biju Patnaik Airport not on "international" map
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