Odisha plans to construct airports in four different locations.
Under the UDAN 5.0 plan, which seeks to link wildlife reserves, tourism attractions, and religious places, there are 54 prospective sites for building airports. Four of these sites are located in the Indian state of Odisha. The locations of Baripada, Konark, Hirakud, and Malkangiri were selected because of their proximity to popular tourist, wildlife, and religious attractions.
Malkangiri and Hirakud were included on the list of 29 suggested sites because of their vicinity to tourist attractions. However, no place in Odisha was selected for inclusion on the list of 10 proposed sites for their proximity to wildlife sanctuaries.
In the same vein, the closeness of Konark and Baripada to holy places has led to their consideration as two of the fifteen potential locations for a new airport. The fifth phase of the UDAN programme intends to either construct new airstrips or improve existing ones around sanctuaries and popular tourist sites.
The states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Bihar will benefit the most from the fifth phase of development. There are 11 airstrips from the state of Madhya Pradesh involved in the project, while there are ten from Rajasthan.
Current Issue
02-2026
