Ever since the flight operations resumed in the state, Visakhapatnam airport has been witnessing a steady growth in passenger traffic. In September alone, the passenger traffic at the airport touched 79,727.
Speaking about the increase in the traffic, Visakhapatnam Airport Director M Raja Kishore told Yo!, “After the Ministry of Civil Aviation allowed the resumption of domestic flights, operations resumed at the airport from 26 May. In June, 439 flights operated from Vizag, including domestic flights and a few international repatriation flights by Air India and other foreign airlines. By September, the number rose to 794.” He informed that Visakhapatnam airport topped the charts in terms of the operation of flights and passenger traffic in Andhra Pradesh.
While 32 flights were operated from Vizag in April, Vijayawada and Rajamahendravaram recorded movement of 8 flights and 62 flights respectively. It is to be noted that no flights were operated from Tirupati in April. In May, the air travel witnessed a rise in Vizag as 128 flights were operated. On the other hand, the movement of 96 flights from Vijayawada, 176 flights from Rajamahendravaram, and 18 flights from Tirupati was reported in the same month. In June, 439 flights were operated from Vizag, 376 from Vijayawada, 358 from Rajamahendravaram, and 168 from Tirupati. The activities at the airports in the state saw an upward trend further in July, as 525 flights were operated from Vizag, 434 from Vijayawada, 432 from Rajamahendravaram, and 228 from Tirupati. While 619 flights were operated in August to and from Vizag, 507 flights were operated from Vijayawada, 528 flights from Rajamahendravaram, and 278 from Tirupati.
In May the passenger movement was recorded as 7921 in Vizag, 4744 in Vijayawada, 1637 in Rajamahendravaram, and 916 in Tirupati. In June the footfall reached 39,565 in Vizag, 18,633 in Vijayawada, 6702 in Rajamahendravaram, and 6811 in Tirupati. While in August, the airports bustled with activity with 60,839 passenger footfall in Vizag, 30,160 in Vijayawada, 11,502 in Rajamahendravaram, and 18,108 in Tirupati, when compared to the previous month. July registered passenger traffic of 42,095 in Vizag, 20,624 in Vijayawada, 8699 in Rajamahendravaram, and 11,040 in Tirupati.
Amid the pandemic, a large section of travellers seems to consider availing flight services to save time and ensure safety. In line with the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) issued by the centre, the authorities at Vizag airport are strictly adhering to COVID-19 protocols. Apart from implementing touch-free screening for ticketing, luggage-scanning, and boarding along with sanitisation measures at frequent intervals, the officials had set up a COVID-19 testing facility for the international passengers at the airport. “We believe that compliance with safety standards at the airport is one of the prime reasons for air traffic growth at Vizag airport. In October, we are expecting a further rise in the graph,” said Mr Raja Kishore.
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