Visakhapatnam: Shutting down Visakhapatnam Airport is like 'divorcing' it after 62 years of togetherness and most Vizagites are not looking forward to travelling to Bhogapuram to board a flight to reach other destinations, said Visakhapatnam North Constituency MLA P Vishnu Kumar Raju.
Emphasising that at least domestic airlines should operate from the existing Visakhapatnam Airport to Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Tirupati and other cities, instead of handing the airport to the defence sector, the MLA wondered, "When Vizag has a Google Data Centre, why should it be deprived of an airport? If Goa and Mumbai could operate dual airports, why cannot Visakhapatnam operate at least one?"
Emphasising that more than 98 percent of people in Visakhapatnam would prefer accessing local airport rather than travelling over 50-km only to reach the newly-developed airport at Bhogapuram, the MLA demanded that Visakhapatnam Airport should continue some of its flight services for at least a year even as the new airport at Bhogapuram commences operations in July.
Reiterating that Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to people to voluntarily minimise fuel consumption, the MLA expressed concern that the long distance to be travelled from Visakhapatnam to Bhogapuram to reach Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport does not align with the PM's appeal as it becomes very expensive for the passengers. "It is better to opt for a car or Vande Bharat Express to reach Vijayawada rather than flying down to the city from Bhogapuram as it would be cost-effective.
The cab charge from Vizag to the new airport alone costs Rs.3,000 per trip approximately," Vishnu Kumar Raju raised the concern, emphasising that people of Visakhapatnam share similar concerns and they want the airport in the district to continue.
On an average, the MLA said, about 2.50 lakh people are expected to access the new airport and back home in a month which would cost close to Rs.75 crore of public funds to meet fuel costs for the period and it would be ahuge burden on the public. "Therefore, it is better to continue with the existing airport in Visakhapatnam along with the new one. Also, Vande Bharat Express count should be increased before the commencement of the new airport," Vishnu Kumar Raju suggested.
Stating that it would take three to four hours to reach the new airport, the MLA said that international flight services can be operated from Bhogapuram but domestic services should continue in Vizag until at least the proposed beach corridor gets readied.