Industry seeks open sky status for Vizag airport

Open Sky Notes:

• Huge potential
• Declare the largest airport in AP as open sky
• Dedicated air cargo from Visakhapatnam
• Think tank to talk to airlines on desired routings and timings

Visakhapatnam: With the air cargo export potential from Visakhapatnam estimated at more than Rs400 crore per annum and the passengers preferring to go to distant international destinations enroute Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai and Hyderabad for ‘user-friendly’ arrival and departure timings, the demand for declaring Visakhapatnam International Airport as an open sky airport is turning louder.

Andhra Pradesh Chamber of Commerce and Industries Federation, popularly called AP Chambers and several members from the trade and commerce and travel operators demand declaration of the local airport. the largest in Andhra Pradesh, as an open sky airport, they said it will help render easy access to foreign airlines. It will also emerge as a regional aviation hub and help improve tourist footfall. At present, the city has flights to Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Bangkok.

Open Sky Policy envisages freedom of air for the foreign airlines as per 1944 Convention on International Civil Aviation. It enhances mechanisms among the signatories on the right to flight over the entire territories. At present, air cargo transportation from Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada airports is minimal despite huge potential for want of dedicated cargo carriers and support infrastructure.

As a result, there is flight of air cargo material like pharmaceutical products, frozen food mainly shrimp and aquaculture and horticulture and medical devices being rolled out from AP MedTech Zone from Visakhapatnam to other leading metros. The trade has been demanding for a long time the introduction of dedicated air cargo from Visakhapatnam, the main industrial and pharma hub of Andhra Pradesh. Visakhapatnam has a GDP of $43.5 billion.

“There is huge potential. Hence, we have been representing the authorities in various fora to declare Visakhapatnam as an open sky airport to begin with as the city has emerged as the ninth richest city in India in terms of contribution to GDP,” K. Vijay Mohan, Airport Advisory Committee member, told Bizz Buzz.

Vijay Mohan, who is also the president of Tours and Travels Association of Andhra (TTAA), demanded the constitution of a committee to meet every month comprising representatives from the airport, travel operators and trade and commerce to review passenger amenities and the actions required to provide better passenger happiness index. He said the lounge, which was started at Visakhapatnam a few months ago, needs to be moved to a larger premises to provide comfort as required in any international airport.

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, during his recent visit to Bhogapuram International Airport site, has also called for more open sky airports. The Director General of Civil Aviation is now allowing foreign carriers under the open sky policy to Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai and Kolkata.

Meanwhile, AP Chambers, Visakhapatnam Zone organised an interactive meeting with S Raja Reddy, Director, Visakhapatnam International Airport to discuss important topics like declaring Visakhapatnam as an open sky airport constituting a committee consisting of members from the Airport Authority, industry, airlines and travel fraternity to create a think tank to talk to airlines on desired routings and timings, improvement of amenities like restrooms, display of notice boards, security issues, non-availability of brochures at APTDC counters, provision of meet and greet services at the airport on payment basis; revival of international flight to Dubai; full-fledged implementation of ‘Digi Yatra’, revival of cargo operations.