Sambalpur: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the much-awaited Jharsuguda airport on September 22.

The Prime Minister's Office has recently confirmed the date after shifting dates for inauguration on several occasions.

"The Prime Minister will arrive at the airport at 12.30am. He will be in the town for about 30 minutes for inaugurating the airport," airport director Suresh Kumar Chouhan told The Telegraph over phone.

Modi will also address a public rally during his visit near Jharsuguda for which elaborate preparations are on. Union tribal welfare minister Jual Oram recently visited Jharsuguda twice to supervise the arrangements for the Prime Minister's visit.

Although only five days are left for the inauguration, neither the name of the inaugural flight nor the regular schedule of flights has not yet confirmed.

"We have not received any programme of flight operations," Chouhan said.

"At present, the name of the airport will remain Jharsuguda airport as we have not received any nod for naming it after any great person," he said.

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik had asked the Union government to naming the airport after legendary freedom fighter Veer Surendra Sai. There has been growing demand for naming of the airport as the Veer Surendra Sai airport. However, nothing has been decided on this so far.

There were also proposals for flight operations on three routes - Raipur, Ranchi and Bhubaneswar. Air Odisha plans also start its operations here under the central government's regional connectivity scheme Udan.

The Airports Authority of India Limited had received a communication from the director general of civil aviation on August 1 confirming the grant of a 4C-category licence to Jharsuguda airport, allowing it to operate larger planes. With 4C licence, big aircraft - such as Airbus 320 and Boeing 747 - will be able to operate from here.