Vizag airport to remain shut for 11 hrs a day, tourism industry worried

Visakhapatnam Efforts to transform Visakhapatnam, the largest cosmopolitan city with a robust industrial ecosystem into a world-class tourism hub may be grounded without takeoff with the recent decision of the Naval authorities to not allow night flight services due to resurfacing the works of runway from November.

Tour and travel operators have expressed serious concern over the decision and have decided to approach the authorities concerned to review the decision so as to not dent the brand name of Visakhapatnam as a city with good connectivity to domestic and international destinations. They fear that the decision is going to affect the footfall to the exotic destinations to Viakhapatnam which is known for panoramic beaches and valleys on the foothills of the Eastern Ghats. According to a circular issued by the Navy, night flights will be suspended from November 15 from Visakhapatnam International Airport, a civil enclave developed on the airbase of Eastern Naval Command (ENC) allowing it for operation of commercial aircraft, till the end of March, 2024.

The YSRCP Government has grandiose plans to develop the city into a tourist hub with world-class facilities with plans underway to develop a greenfield smart airport at Bhogapuram, about 50 km away by GMR Group, seven star hotels by Oberoi and Mayfair Hotels and Resorts near the beach road at Annavaram village, a view tower at erstwhile MGM theme park and an international convention centre, shopping complex and a five star hotel by Raheja Group and Varun Group planning to build three towers for hotel and other purposes at the site where Taj Gateway Hotel is currently located. The city has been designated as the executive capital of Andhra Pradesh.

Airport sources said night flights will not be allowed from 9 pm till 8 am to take up the works at the runway after sunset. The decision to close the airport for 11 hours a day will directly hit the operation of a dozen domestic flights and the only international flight to Singapore by Scoot Airlines.

In a representation to Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotirdatiya Scindia, AP Air Travellers' Association (APATA) president K Kumar Raja, vice-presidents DS Varma and O Naresh Kumar appealed to consider the overall interest of Visakhapatnam and allow flight movement from 11 pm to 5.30 am.

"We are perplexed to know about the development. At a time when everyone is talking about improving the connectivity, the Navy which controls the flight operations at INS Dega airbase has taken a unilateral decision without consulting the stakeholders, sending wrong signals on tourism development," Tours and Travels Association of Andhra (TTAA) president K Vijay Mohan and secretary Padhi Srinivas Kumar told Bizz Buzz on Sunday.

Vijay Mohan, who is a member of the airport advisory committee, said they have started seeking the support of all to stop the decision as it will certainly upset our efforts to introduce international flights to various destinations like Bangkok, Dubai, Kuala Lumpur and Ho Chi Minh City. "Actually, talks are on to introduce flights by Akasa Airlines, Air India, Air India Express and other airlines so as to improve the international connectivity to Visakhapatnam," Kumar said. According to Visakhapatnam Airport Director S Raja Reddy the last resurfacing of runway work, which generally is done once in 10 years, was undertaken in 2009. Tour operators say already many have reserved tickets to Singapore and various other destinations enroute Changi Airport well in advance and their travel plans will go haywire if the Navy goes ahead with the resurfacing work as per its schedule.

"The decision will disrupt the services of 12 air services, one of which is also the Singapore Airlines that has not only connected passengers to Singapore but further on to other countries as well. These closure times will also disrupt the services to Delhi, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Pune," Daggubati Purandeswari, BJP State president, stated in a letter to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Pleading for revising resurfacing work from 10.30 pm to 6.30 am instead of 9 pm to 8 am, Purandeswari, a former Union Minister, said: "Vizag is an emerging industrial hub, catering to the needs of pharma, garment, aqua and other sectors, besides emerging as a tourist destination."