The Odisha government on Thursday said they have identified nearly 2.5 acre land at theBiju PatnaikInternational (BPI) Airport here to place the iconicDakota Aircraftof former chief minister Biju Patnaik and sought a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) for the selected site.

The state commerce and transport department has written to theMinistry of Civil Aviationto ask the AAI to issue the NOC for the site and provide in-principle clearance to position the Dakota Aircraft on the selected land, which is located near the entry point of the Biju Patnaik International Airport and close to the Airport Police station and administrative building of the BPI Airport director.

Padhi requested Kharola to impress upon the AAI headquarter in Delhi for issuance of the NOC and provide clearance to position the Dakota Aircraft on the selected site.
On December 13, 2017, the AAI had written to the and given the proposal to procure the Aircraft from Kolkata. The AAI had also offered all assistance and support to the government in procuring the Aircraft. The state government wrote to the AAI on January 22, 2020, expressing its willingness to bring the Aircraft to Bhubaneswar and display it near Biju Patnaiks statue at the BPI Airport.