Bhubaneswar, July 21: The dream of connecting Odisha with major international destinations appears to be losing momentum, with the state’s international air connectivity witnessing a steady decline despite years of planning and government support.

It has been 13 years since Biju Patnaik Airport in Bhubaneswar was accorded the “International” tag, raising hopes that Odisha would soon have direct air links with several global destinations. However, at present, only one international flight is operating from the state, and that too just three days a week.

With financial assistance from the state government, international flight services were introduced from Bhubaneswar to destinations such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Bangkok, and Singapore. However, in recent months, services to all destinations except Bangkok have been suspended. Several other proposed international routes have also failed to take off.

The decline in international connectivity comes despite a significant rise in passenger traffic at Bhubaneswar Airport. Passenger movement increased from 3.6 million in 2023–24 to 5.15 million in 2025, helping Odisha rank 13th among airports across India in terms of passenger volume.

Despite this growth, passengers travelling abroad from Odisha are increasingly dependent on airports in Kolkata and Delhi due to limited direct international options from Bhubaneswar.

Domestic air connectivity has also taken a hit. The Bhubaneswar–Visakhapatnam flight service has remained suspended since May. Similarly, the Bhubaneswar–Indore–Goa connecting flight and the Bhubaneswar–Dehradun–Jammu service have also been discontinued.

Private airline operator IndiGo has also suspended two international services partially for the past two months, including flights connecting Bhubaneswar with Singapore and Dubai.

To encourage airlines to operate international routes, the Odisha government has been providing Viability Gap Funding (VGF). Under the scheme, the government compensates airlines for vacant seats when passenger numbers fall short of the required occupancy level.

During its January Cabinet meeting, the state government had expressed concerns over declining passenger demand on the Dubai route and the possible impact on operations. It announced financial support to ensure continuation of services. Similar assistance was also proposed for the Bhubaneswar–Singapore route based on revised fare calculations.

A total VGF support proposal of ₹26.87 crore for six months was approved for the two routes.

The state government had projected that stronger international air connectivity would boost tourism, industrial growth, and foreign investment in Odisha. However, the slow expansion of overseas flight services has raised questions over the effectiveness of these efforts.