Visakhapatnam airport records impressive growth in the first four months of 2023 fiscal

Visakhapatnam International Airport has registered an impressive growth in the first four months of the present financial year compared to the corresponding period last year

Visakhapatnam International Airport has registered an impressive growth in the first four months of the present financial year compared to the corresponding period last year. The total passenger footfall has increased to 10,37,710 from April to July, 2023, up from 7,75,100 during the corresponding period last year.

The domestic passengers increased from 7,54,966 in 2022 to 10,13,518 in 2023 and international passengers increased marginally from 20,084 in 2022 to 24,192 in 2023 during the first four months of the current fiscal.

The domestic flight movements during the corresponding period increased from 7,045 to 7,184 and international flight movements decreased marginally from 170 in 2022 to 164 in 2023. The occupancy of international flights has increased consistently during the first four months of this year.

“Passenger-friendly initiatives like reduction of check points for passengers and opening of more check-in counters were taken up at the airport recently. After entering the airport, passengers can directly go for check-in or for security check. The number of check-in counters has increased to 30 with 10 more being added recently,” airport Director S. Raja Reddy told The Hindu.

Meanwhile, air travel operators have expressed concern at the proposal for closure of night operations from 9 p.m. to 8 a.m. with effect from November 15 to March-end next year to facilitate resurfacing of the runway at the airport. “Though resurfacing of the runway at periodic intervals based on its usage is a must to ensure safe flight operations, we hope that the work would done during non-peak hours to disruption of the lone flight to Singapore, and other late night flights,” they say.

“The flights to Dubai and Kuala Lumpur, which were withdrawn during the COVID-19 pandemic have not been restored, and now there is a threat of the flight to Singapore, which is being operated from Vizag successfully for the last 10 years, pulling out,” they say.

AP Air Travellers Association (APATA) representatives O. Naresh Kumar and D.S. Varma and AP Chamber of Commerce and Industry Federation (APCCIF) president have appealed to the Indian Navy, which operates the Air Traffic Control (ATC), to consider reducing the timings for shutdown of night operations, apart from increasing the slots for commercial aircraft during the peak hours.