The Centre-run Alliance Air on Sunday started a flight between Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh and Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, which will operate four days in a week. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, who was in Kanker district, virtually launched the inaugural flight which took off from the Bilasa Devi Kevat Airport in Bilaspur, located nearly 125 km from the state capital Raipur.
“The ATR 72-seater aircraft of the Alliance Air took off from Bilaspur at 11.35 am on Sunday for Bhopal with 50 passengers onboard. It will be operated four days a week (Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday),” Bilaspur Collector Saransh Mittar said.
The aviation services at the Bilaspur airport started on March 1 last year, with two flights connecting the city to Delhi via Jabalpur and Prayagraj, he said.
On the occasion, CM Baghel said three-and-a-half-years ago, only Raipur was the destination for flight services, but now such services are also available in Jagdalpur (Bastar district) and Bilaspur.
The Bilaspur-Bhopal domestic airline service will particularly be beneficial to the people from northern part of the state, he said.
“We have been making every possible effort to enhance air services in the state. The expansion of the Ambikapur airport runway is going on at a cost of Rs 43 crore, while work is also underway on the project to set up a commercial airport in Korba,” Baghel said.
Besides, work is also underway on the plan to develop an airstrip in Korea district, he added.
