Total flight movements for the first seven-month period were 12,830, projected to be close to last year's 22,324 movements.

According to the data, the total passenger footfall for this fiscal year is likely to surpass last year's figure of 2,954,979. The airport director informed that the passenger traffic rose to nearly 27.84 lakh in 2023-24 and reached an all-time monthly high of 2,96,629 passengers in May, 2023.

Expressing gratitude to the airport authorities, Andhra Pradesh Air Travels Association (APATA) representatives mentioned that the Visakhapatnam Airport authorities have been focusing on several initiatives to expand the airport and introduce new flight services to the city.

Over the past three decades, APATA has been playing a proactive role in securing several key milestones, including launch of the first Dubai flight, introduction of the first Singapore flight, establishment of cargo flights for shrimp exports, among others.

Appreciating the state government for its forward-looking initiatives such as plans to introduce e-buses for last-mile connectivity to Bhogapuram Airport and ongoing road widening projects, APATA representatives suggested solutions to address a few challenges. "We request GMR Airports Limited to establish world-class passenger lounges at major locations in the city equipped with comfortable seating arrangements, quality food services, a medical shop and bank ATM facilities and business lounge amenities," the APATA representatives underlined. Also, a dedicated cargo terminal was proposed to coordinate with the district administration to prevent the city's cargo from moving to Chennai and other airports. The APATA representatives requested the concerned authorities to initiate metro connectivity before the commencement of Bhogapuram Airport. APATA also highlighted a proposal to initiate two dedicated fenced lanes along the coastal corridor for green e-buses, creating an expressway that would help passengers reach the new airport from the city in 45 minutes.