The Andhra Pradesh Air Travellers Association (APATA) representatives, on Monday, met Visakhapatnam Airport Director, Raja Kishore. Later on, the Director, accompanied by the APATA representatives, reviewed the expansion works undertaken by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) apart from discussing the air traffic, new terminal, taxi track, and other projects.
Speaking to the media, Mr Kishore said that the construction work on the canopy, which is intended to shelter passengers, and expansion work of the Rs 54 crore worth terminal building are progressing at a good pace. The new terminal, which is expected to ease passenger traffic at the airport, would be ready by May 2020. A new restaurant in the check-in area and a business lounge will be open to the public around the same time. The Airport Director opined that the Visakhapatnam airport would be able to handle an additional 2 million passengers per annum, after commissioning the new terminal and N5 taxi track.
As per a press note released by the APATA, it is expected that the air traffic will increase from the current three million passengers to five million passengers in the next two to three years. With Vizag being considered as the executive capital of Andhra Pradesh, there is an urgent need to complete the work relating to the parallel taxi track, the note further mentioned.
Shedding light on the future of road traffic in Visakhapatnam, the note further added, “The vehicular traffic on all the roads leading to the airport is expected to increase in the coming years. If the expansion of roads is not taken up at the right time, there is every possibility that the travel time to the airport is increased. This issue has to be immediately addressed as the airport at Bhogaopuram might come into operation within three-four years”.
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