The Visakhapatnam airport has been waiting for years for the round-the-clock operations, an essential pre-requisite for international airlines operators to evince interest in operating flights to the city, and it is not likely to end in the near future, judging by the present trends.
The airport is under the operational control of the Indian Navy and it is often said that the lack of adequate staff as one of the reasons hampering the authorities from keeping the airport open for flights round-the-clock.
Currently, the airport is operated from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and it is felt the hours are too limited for the international airlines operators to connect Vizag to destinations such as Singapore, Colombo and others.
Now, air travellers have to board the international flights at Hyderabad or Chennai at additional expense and trouble.
Facilities
A few years ago, the new runway was commissioned at the Visakhapatnam airport and the airport terminal building was also constructed later. The problem of flooding, which used to plague operations during the rainy season, was also taken care of, with diversion channels built to keep the airport dry.
Despite these steps, the airport could not really take off. Though the number of domestic flights has increased substantially, connecting Vizag to the metros, international flights have eluded it.
Silk Airways, at one point of time, wanted to operate a flight from Vizag to Singapore but wanted a slot during the night and it could not be arranged, it is learnt. Currently, the naval authorities want a firm commitment from international carriers to operate flights from here for them to get the other arrangements such as the customs ready for operations. But, no such commitment is forthcoming.
Air travellers from Vizag want the naval authorities and the civil aviation officials to get together to sort out the hassles and pave the way for at least one or two international flights from here to Colombo or Singapore. They argue there is immense potential to promote international tourism, with the number of Buddhist sites in the vicinity of Visakhapatnam. Better air connectivity is also absolutely essential for the budding IT sector in the city, it is felt.