Airlines reduce international flight frequency from Vizag amid coronavirus scare

Airlines Air Asia and Scoot have reduced the frequency of flights from Vizag to international destinations temporarily amid the outbreak of coronavirus. This comes in after a positive case has been registered in Andhra Pradesh this week. Currently, the flights ply from Vizag to Dubai, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore frequently. Owing to the vast-spread coronavirus, the airlines have decided to temporarily reduce the frequency over the routes as a precautionary measure.

Scoot airlines operate direct flights from Vizag to Singapore five days a week. Currently, the flight scheduled on March 16 2020 and flights operating on Saturdays have been cancelled until further notice.

Air Asia has reduced its operations from Visakhapatnam to Kuala Lumpur to half. The aircrafts that would previously ply on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday every week will now operate only on Thursdays and Sundays. In total, Air Asia has cancelled five out of eighteen flights while Scoot has cancelled twenty-two flights on their Visakhapatnam-Singapore route. No flights have been cancelled from Vizag to Dubai yet, as per official reports.

On the other hand, new domestic routes from Visakhapatnam will be operational from this summer. Indigo Airlines is set to operate three routes starting this summer:

1. Chennai-Visakhapatnam
2. Vizag-Vijayawada
3. Vizag-Mumbai

Air Asia India is set to introduce a third daily flight between Bengaluru and Visakhapatnam. Another flight on Visakhapatnam-Hyderabad route will be added soon.

Vizag airport authorities have stated that sanitizers and masks are being provided to the international passengers while sanitization is being done thoroughly round the clock. A 116-member team has been deployed to work in three shifts, ensuring the airport is free of harmful viruses. Authorities have also assured that all passengers arriving in Visakhapatnam are being screened, and those with symptoms of coronavirus are immediately being sent to hospitals for further checkups.