Tusura Airstrip Yet to Attract Airline Interest Under UDAN Scheme

Bhubaneswar: The Tusura airstrip in Odisha’s Balangir district remains unused for commercial flight operations as no airline has come forward to propose services under the Centre’s UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) regional connectivity scheme, the Union government informed the Rajya Sabha.

Responding to a question by Rajya Sabha MP Niranjan Bishi, who hails from Balangir, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol stated that Tusura is included in the list of unserved airstrips under the UDAN scheme. However, despite being eligible, no bids have been received from airline operators to commence flights from the location.

According to the minister, development of unserved or underserved airports like Tusura depends on valid proposals submitted by airline operators during bidding rounds. Without such bids, the government cannot move forward with plans to operationalise the airstrip.

Situated around 45 km from Balangir town, Tusura is also in close proximity to the Utkela airstrip in Kalahandi district, which is already functional under the UDAN initiative. Despite a previous sanction of ₹65 crore for Tusura’s renovation and infrastructure upgrade, the airstrip remains inactive due to lack of airline interest.

The minister further noted that Tusura could still be considered for operationalisation if airlines show interest in future rounds of bidding. Until then, the airstrip will remain under the unserved category.

In response to another question, Mohol informed that 32 air routes have been activated in Odisha and 90 in the Northeast Region (NER) under the UDAN scheme. For the fiscal year 2025–26, ₹300 crore has been allocated to support the scheme’s goal of enhancing air connectivity to remote and underdeveloped regions, including tribal areas.