Flights to Dubai from Vijayawada soon: Machilipatnam MP Vallabhaneni Bala Showry

In a recent meeting, the MP reviewed development works and infrastructure projects progressing on the terminal premises, the official added.
For representational purposes (File | PTI)
For representational purposes (File | PTI)

VIJAYAWADA: If things go as per the plan, leading flight operator Air India will be operating two flights to Dubai every week from Vijayawada airport soon, said Machilipatnam MP Vallabhaneni Bala Showry. Speaking to mediapersons at the airport on Monday, Bala Showry said he has requested the flight operator and Union Ministry of Civil Aviation to operate international services from Vijayawada.

"At present, flights to Dubai are being operated on the Visakhapatnam-Hyderabad-Dubai route. We have requested Air India chairman and managing director (CMD) Pradeep Singh Kharola to operate a flight on the Vijayawada-Hyderabad-Dubai route twice a week," he observed.

Elaborating further, the MP said passenger ratio would be higher if a flight service was operated to Dubai from Vijayawada since many from the region visit the city for employment and tourism purposes. "Considering our request, Air India has assured to study the feasibility and may introduce the flight service in the months to come. Not only this, we have also requested SriLankan Airlines, Jet Airways and IndiGo to begin flights from Vijayawada to Sri Lanka, Thailand and Singapore, during a recent conference at the Civil Aviation office," he said.

"Our objective is to operate international flights from Vijayawada and I am confident that all our requests will be considered by the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation and flight operators," Bala Showry assured. Giving an update on the status of integrated terminal building works, the MP said Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu laid the foundation stone for it in December, 2018 at an estimated cost of Rs 611 crore.

In August 2019, the Airports Authority of India invited tenders for materialising the works and necessary funds in this regard were yet to be released, he said and added a meeting will be convened shortly with the officials concerned to speed up the project.

"As per the norms, the AAI has the authority to approve infrastructure projects below Rs 500 crore. As the integrated terminal building project costs around Rs 611 crore, a proposal has been sent to the NITI Aayog for its approval and the release of funds is pending with the Union Finance Ministry," Vijayawada airport director G Madhusudana said.

In a recent meeting, the MP reviewed development works and infrastructure projects progressing on the terminal premises, the official added.

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