Bhubaneswar: Over the last three years, state govt has spent crores in viability gap funding (VGF) to sustain international flight operations. But despite govt aid and passenger demand, the city airport is struggling to operate flights to the Gulf countries.Early in Jan, the plug was pulled on the Abu Dhabi flight, barely six months after it began operations, and now it could be the same for Dubai. With IndiGo‘s website not allowing ticket bookings to Dubai from Biju Patnaik International Airport after the end of March, flyers are apprehensive about a possible suspension of service.Official data revealed that on most days, the Dubai flight is booked to capacity, and maximum vacancy since the start of operations was around 9%, the lowest among the three international destinations, the others being Singapore and Bangkok. The Singapore flight’s passenger load is the poorest among the three, with around 40% of seats going vacant. There is no problem with the Bangkok flight, reporting a vacancy of 15% to 19%.“IndiGo’s Dubai flight is certainly running well since the operation started. There could be other reasons if it intends to withdraw operations. It may be because, after the series of disruptions, the Centre came up with a stricture asking it to downsize its aircraft fleet. In that situation, it may withdraw the Dubai flight from here and use the same in a location that is far more viable than Bhubaneswar,” a govt official said.Sources said the govt is in touch with IndiGo and is expected to come out with a solution for continuity of operations. “If VGF is an issue, we will discuss it with the airline and see what best can be done,” the official added.A round trip to Dubai costs Rs 30,000, while for Singapore and Bangkok it is Rs 20,000. Flight to Dubai started on May 15, 2023 followed by Bangkok and Singapore, on June 3, 2023. The Abu Dhabi flight began operations on June 12 last year.The flight to Dubai, which operates thrice a week, generated a lot of enthusiasm among business communities, frequent fliers, hoteliers, tour operators and students. It provides a gateway to the whole of Europe, North America and Canada.Airport sources said if any destination requires hand-holding, it is Singapore. “Considering footfall on the Singapore flight, support for empty seats is understandable. But for Dubai, there should not be any issue involving VGF,” a BPIA source said.Despite repeated attempts, the airline declined to comment on the development.
