Bhubaneswar, Jul 13 (IANS): Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has requested the Union Civil Aviation Ministry to introduce direct flight from Bhubaneswar to Dubai to meet growing demand of people of the state for international travel.

In a letter to Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, the Chief Minister said as there is sufficient passenger load, a direct flight is felt necessary between Bhubaneswar and Dubai.

The letter was released to media on Saturday.

"I would request you to impress upon Air India or any other Airlines to introduce direct international flight between Bhubaneswar and Dubai to meet the growing demand of people of Odisha for international travel," Patnaik wrote in the letter.

He said Odisha has been witnessing rise in traffic to various international destinations from the state and vice versa due to increase in the industrial investments and tourist footfalls.

This has attracted various international airlines, who have evinced interest to start their international flight operations from Biju Patnaik International Airport, Bhubaneswar to Dubai, Patnaik informed.

However, restriction on landing rights has been a deterrent for such operations by international airlines.

"In the absence of direct flights from the state to other international destinations like Dubai and Middle East countries, the passengers face immense difficulty to go to the desired destinations," said the Chief Minister.

He said this can be addressed, if air connectivity is established between Bhubaneswar and Dubai, which also serves as an international hub for passengers for travelling to other international destinations.

Although Air India has international flights from Bhubaneswar to Middle East via New Delhi, it is a costlier and time-consuming option, opined the Chief Minister.