Alliance Air, a wholly owned subsidiary of Air India added smiles on the faces of children with special needs by turning their dream of flying by air into a reality. The airline took these junior flyers on a 40-minute-long ‘Dream Flight’ within Bhubaneshwar.
Almost all children were from the poor urban areas of Bhubaneshwar and a few from a tribal village in Baripada. There were a total of 44 children on the dream flight. Minimum age of children on the Dream Flight was eight years and maximum 18 years. The children were selected by Swabhimaan — an NGO based in Bhubaneshwar. The initiative was a joint effort of Odisha Govt, AAI, Air India, Alliance Air & Ministry of Civil Aviation.
State SSEPD Minister, Ashok Panda; Union Civil Aviation Joint Secretary, Usha Padhee, and Odia film stars, Akash Dasnayak and Sabyasachi Mishra were present at the airport to see off the children.
Prior to the take-off an art exhibition called ‘MY DREAM FLIGHT’ was organised at the Biju Patnaik Airport along with a few cultural performances by the children and celebrations.