Vizag airport yet to have 24x7 operations; June 30, 2013 , By Our Bureau Visakhapatnam airport: Scope for improvement The Visakhapatnam airport is still waiting for round-the-clock operations seven days aweek. At present the facility is available only for three days a week, even though authorities say that they can open up the airport 24x7 at short notice as the systems are already in place. It is felt by trade and industry circles as well as air travel associations that 24x7 operations of the airport is the most essential pre-requisite for attracting new airlines to the city. Improved air connectivity, needless to say, is necessary tobring in more investors. Airport Director K. Srinivasa Rao said, “We have written letters to all agencies and informed both domestic and international airline operators of the 24-hour operations thrice a week. There is no response from them so far. We suggested extension of the IndiGo Mumbai-Hyderabad flight to Visakhapatnam. It can be operated next dayfrom Vizag at 5 a.m. without disturbing the present schedule of the flight.” “We have also sought extension of the SpiceJet bombardier flight from Kochi, Bangalore and Indore to Visakhapatnam. The flights can be extended without disturbing their existing schedules. There isample parking space at the airport. Once more and more operators park their aircraft during the nights, a maintenance base can be developed,” he said. The industries coming up in the region are also expected to boost both passenger and cargo traffic to and from Visakhapatnam Airport. “Hospira Inc has set up one of the world’s largest injection manufacturing plants at the Jawaharalal Nehru Pharma City in the district. Trial runs have already begunand the plant is expected to begin commercial production in December this year,” Industries Commissioner Rajat Kumarsaid during his recent visit to the city. “The top brass of Hospira, who live on the east coast of the US, have sought an evening flight to Delhi as they wish to travel via Delhi and not Mumbai. We have spoken to Air India and also to IndiGo in this regard,” Srinivasa Rao said. The availability of morning flights from NewDelhi to Vizag and evening flights to New Delhi will be of great help to business travellers. “In the absence of an evening flight to New Delhi, we are forced to come here in the evening, stay overnight and begin our work the next morning. Even when we finish by evening, there is no return flight, forcing us to spend another night in Vizag. This is forcing business travellers to spend two day extra nights,” says a business visitor..
Posted on: Mon, 01 Jul 2013 21:03:19 +0000
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