Bhubaneswar, July 6: Biju Patnaik International Airport will operate a feeder flight to ferry international passengers to Delhi.

Union civil aviation and tourism minister Mahesh Sharma had, on June 27, declared that there would be an international flight from Biju Patnaik International Airport to Abu Dhabi. But now, it has been decided that Air India would ferry international passengers only to and from New Delhi.

Air India would operate its Delhi 2pm flight as international to take all ex-Delhi departing passengers with the immigration check done at Bhubaneswar airport from July 10.

Pabitra Mohan Sahoo, a Dubai-based businessman, who shuttles between that country and Odisha at least four times a month, said: "I was thinking of saving a lot of time through a direct international flight from Biju Patnaik Airport, but I've heard that it is not going to happen. I am really upset."

A direct flight from Bhubaneswar to Dubai would take at least six hours. But, with a stopover in Delhi, it would now take nearly 10 hours.

Well-know dancer Aruna Mohanty said: "With a direct international flight from Bhubaneswar, one could have saved a lot of time. But anyway, with the immigration and customs check facility available here, a passenger can travel with a relaxed mood as a huge part of his or her travel formalities would be over before landing in New Delhi."

Urban management expert Piyush Ranjan Rout said: "Starting a direct international flight from here is not easy as the operators will not get adequate travellers for their operations. For me, getting the immigration and customs clearance facility from here is an achievement."

Rout also said that with the members of alliance carriers, a traveller from Bhubaneswar can directly get boarding pass to the foreign destination and it will save a lot of time.

City-based educator Jasaswini Mohapatra feels that direct flight to the popular destinations such as Dubai and Southeast Asian countries would encourage more tourists.

"The state government and the Centre should work towards ensuring this," she said.

Airport director Sharad Kumar said: "The hub and spoke model comes as a part of the national civil aviation policy in which there will be six mega international metro airports across the nation. In other airports designated as international, there will be facilities for immigration, customs and quarantine (for animals and plants), so that the travellers can save their time and reach the metro airports for their international flights."

Air India station manager Tapas Ray said: "There was no declaration on any flight from the city airport in the past. As part of the hub and spoke model, Air India's daily flight to Delhi at 2pm will be designated as an international flight, so that the departing passengers, with plan to take flight from the Indira Gandhi International Airport, can have their immigration check from here."

"For all other airlines part of the Star Alliance (27 member countries) a traveller can take the boarding pass up to the final destination from Bhubaneswar," he said.

However, he said the entire seats of the Airbus 320 would also take domestic fliers if seats remain empty even after accommodating all the foreign-bound passengers.

The Biju Patnaik Airport received an international tag on October 30, 2013.