Jamshedpur: Scheduled regional air services linking Jamshedpur with Bhubaneswar and Kolkata have been indefinitely suspended by Ahmedabad-based regional carrier IndiaOne Air following a forced landing of its nine-seater aircraft near Rourkela, Odisha, on January 10. The airline cited a lack of available aircraft after the accident as the reason for halting flights from Jamshedpur’s Sonari Airport.
The ill-fated flight — IOA102, operated by a Cessna Grand Caravan 208B (registration VT-KSS) — was en route from Bhubaneswar to Rourkela under the Government’s Regional Connectivity Scheme (UDAN) when a technical malfunction forced the pilots to declare a MAYDAY and land in an open field near Kansor village, roughly 15–20 km short of Rourkela Airport.
Impact on Jamshedpur Connectivity
The suspension of flights has left Jamshedpur without direct air connectivity to Kolkata and Bhubaneswar. The service was launched in February 2023 by Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, along with Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, as part of a broader effort to enhance the aviation footprint of Jharkhand and link it to major urban centers.
For residents and business travelers in and around Jamshedpur, the suspension has been an abrupt setback, removing one of the few scheduled services available from Sonari Airport and forcing travelers back to distant hubs such as Ranchi, Kolkata, or Bhubaneswar. Aviation analysts note that smaller regional carriers like IndiaOne Air often operate with limited fleets — in this case, three Cessna Caravan aircraft — making them especially vulnerable to disruptions when a single airframe becomes unavailable pending investigation or repair.
Airline and Industry Repercussions
Despite repeated attempts, representatives of IndiaOne Air could not be reached for comment, with calls and messages to senior officials going unanswered. The airline, which operates short-haul routes with aircraft seating up to nine passengers, had been considering fleet expansion with the addition of Twin Otter aircraft to better serve remote and short-runway destinations, according to industry records from late 2025.
