Bhubaneswar, Oct 31 (IANS): Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday flagged off the flight to Jeypore in Koraput district from the Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) here.

A water cannon salute was accorded to the flight by Odisha Fire Service on its arrival at Jeypore airport.

Ahmedabad-based IndiaOne Air has started operating the nine-seater flight under the UDAN regional connectivity scheme.

The flight will depart from Bhubaneswar airport at 11.35 a.m. daily and reach Jeypore at 1.20 p.m. Later, the flight will depart for Visakhapatnam. The flight then will bring passengers from Visakhapatnam to Jeypore.

The flight will then take off from Jeypore airport at 4.05 p.m. and arrive in Bhubaneswar at 5.50 pm, sources said.

The introductory fare is Rs 999 whereas the normal ticket fare per passenger will be Rs 2,500, they said.

The service will be available six days a week and only one flight will fly every day carrying nine passengers.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had, on October 20, granted the licence for Jeypore airport to carry out commercial flight operations.