Is IndiGo Planning To Discontinue Bhubaneswar-Dubai Direct Flight?

The latest news from Odisha is that IndiGo airlines is planning to discontinue its thrice weekly direct flight service between Bhubaneswar and Dubai from March 2026. The service was launched on May 15, 2023 by then Biju Janata Dal government headed by Naveen Patnaik. It is learnt that IndiGo is not accepting any bookings beyond March this year. Regular air travellers are surprised by this move and have raised concerns. There are over 40,000 Odia diasporas living in the Middle East and this could affect their travel plans, business and tourism. An email query to IndiGo regarding this issue did not get any response. When direct flight scheme was launched, the then Patnaik had made Budgetary provision of Rs 100 cr towards viability gap funding (VGF) every year to ensure sustainability of service, wherein, the state had to bear part of the operational cost until passenger occupancy gets stabilised and the route becomes commercially viable. Sources at AAI New Delhi say when the Dubai flight is going full, why IndiGo is now resorting to this kind of pressure tactic? It seems, the ball is now in the BJP-run Odisha government’s court and how it resolves needs to be seen.