Odisha Transport Minister Bibhuti Jena visited the Rourkela charter aircraft emergency landing site on Monday, calling the incident unfortunate. He assured that the state government is committed to providing the best medical care to the injured and implementing measures to prevent similar events in the future.
Jena confirmed that a thorough investigation is underway to determine the cause of the emergency landing. “We are concerned about why this accident occurred. A detailed inquiry is being conducted to ensure such incidents are not repeated,” he said, adding that discussions with senior officials are ongoing to examine the circumstances leading to the incident.
Earlier, DGCA and AAIB teams from Delhi, Kolkata, and Bhubaneswar inspected the site, while Transport Secretary Usha Padhee visited the hospital to check on injured passengers and crew.
Speaking to reporters, Jena emphasized passenger safety as the government’s top priority. “Our foremost concern is that people remain safe while availing air travel services. Senior officials have been closely monitoring the situation, and a thorough investigation is underway,” he said.
At JP Hospital, the Transport Minister met the injured passengers and pilots. One passenger remains on ventilator support due to pre-existing conditions but is improving, while both pilots have undergone surgeries and are now stable in the ICU. Medical teams from Bhubaneswar reviewed the cases and expressed satisfaction with the care provided. Jena commended the pilots for their calm handling of the situation, which ensured that no lives were lost.
