Bhubaneswar: The Government of Odisha, Commerce & Transport Department has issued a letter to the Chairman AAI (Airports Authority Of India) on January 21, 2020 to bring back the iconic Dakota aircraft.
Odisha government is pleased to take over the Dakota (VT-AUI) aircraft belonging to the erstwhile Kalinga Airlines, the said in a letter.
The aircraft will be displayed at the Biju Patnaik International Airport at Bhubaneswar, added the letter.
The iconic aircraft was a part of the fleet of 18 such planes of Kalinga Airlines used in the Kashmir operation in 1947-48 ferrying troops to Srinagar and carrying medical assistance and other supplies.
The Dakota aircraft was used by former Chief Minister Biju Patnaik to rescue Indonesia’s former vice president and prime minister in 1947, from Netaji Subhas Bose International Airport, Kolkata.
Kalinga AI