Vizag, Tirupati airports footfall dips in Q2
AP travellers’ body seek more connectivity from Visakhapatnam to Hyderabad, Vijayawada and Bengaluru besides improving the international connectivity
image for illustrative purpose
Visakhapatnam: Air travellers who are seeking an increase in slots for commercial aircraft from Visakhapatnam International Airport, now run as an airport for defence as well as passenger services, say there is a slight fall in footfalls in the second quarter (Q2) compared to Q1 due to connectivity issues.
Though there is encouraging response from AirAsia and other foreign airlines to revive their operations from Visakhapatnam after completion of new terminal by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) with an investment of Rs 60 crore post-pandemic, only Scoot Airlines has started direct flight from here to Singapore. There is demand for direct flights to Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Colombo and Manila to encourage regular visits by tourists and trade delegations.
Compared to Q1 of 2022 regarding the number of passengers travelled from the airports of Andhra Pradesh, Visakhapatnam and Tirupati airports have seen a decline in traffic by less than one per cent in Q2. Maybe this might have happened due to the impact of recession and non-availability of slots in peak hours at the Visakhapatnam Airport.
But the number of travellers from Rajahmundry and Vijayawada airports has increased when compared to Q1. Among the four airports, Rajahmundry and Vijayawada airports registered a better growth.
"As could be seen from the figures, it is clear that the airports in Andhra Pradesh have a bright future and there is a need for more connectivity from Visakhapatnam to Hyderabad, Vijayawada and Bengaluru besides improving the international connectivity, AP Travellers' Association office-bearers K Kumar Raja, O Naresh Kumar and DS Varma stated.
Local MP MVV Satyanarayana and air travel and tourist operators' associations have already submitted several representations to the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Ministry of Defence to consider the request. There is also an overwhelming demand from the trade and commerce to increase air cargo facility due to huge potential to ferry frozen shrimp and other seafood and aqua products as well as pharmaceuticals and garments manufactured at Jawaharlal Nehru Pharma City (JNPC) and nearby clusters and Brandix India Apparel City (BIAC), which owns a Special Economic Zone at Atchutapuram.
