The Odisha government plans to develop Bhubaneswar into a major aviation hub. The decision was taken at the cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Wednesday.

The government, in a press release, stated that to transform Odisha into a regional hub for aviation services, the state cabinet has approved the establishment of a Maintenance, Repair and Overhauling (MRO) facility at the Biju Patnaik International Airport.

The release said: “This will be the first major facility in eastern India and a milestone under the Government of Odisha’s vision to strengthen civil aviation through the B-MAAN (Building and Management of Aviation Assets and Network) scheme.”

With Odisha emerging as a manufacturing centre in the steel and mines sectors, the number of private aircraft entering the state has also risen, with industrialists preferring to visit the city in private planes or helicopters.

“All these require that Bhubaneswar should have a proper aircraft maintenance facility. Taking these factors into consideration, Odisha plans to give a subsidy on providing land to the major operators,” said a state official.

“The cabinet also approved a special package of additional incentives over and above the provisions under the Industrial Policy Resolutions 2022, to attract private sector participation in the capital-intensive MRO sector. Following a rigorous evaluation process, M/S Air Works India (Engineering) Pvt. Limited, India’s oldest and largest third-party MRO provider, has been selected as the anchor investor to establish and operate the facility,” said the release.

The Biju Patnaik International Airport has air connectivity to the Middle East, Dubai and Singapore. The airport also offers direct flights to around 34 cities within the country. Odisha has a total of 19 airports and airstrips, including 12 state-owned ones. The Biju Patnaik Airport also plays a key role in providing support to other major airports in Jharsuguda, Jeypore and Rourkela.

“Our objective is faster augmentation of the aviation infrastructure in the state with an investor-friendly ecosystem to improve regional air connectivity, create sectoral skilled resource pools and maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) in the state over five years,” said a state official.