A revenue growth of Rs.2.96 crore was achieved by the Visakhapatnam International Airport during 2013-14 compared to the previous year, notwithstanding a marginal drop in passengers.
The total revenue (both traffic and non-traffic) of Rs.33.15 crore this year is the highest during the last five years and represents a growth of Rs. 20.96 crore this year compared to 2009-10.
This is despite the drop in aircraft movement from 15,491 during 2012-13 to 11,266 during 2013-14.
Assistant General Manager (Finance) G. Madhusudhana Rao attributes the growth in revenue despite the reduction in aircraft movement to the introduction of large bodied aircraft like Boeings, in place of ATRs, which are about half the size of bigger aircraft.
The traffic revenue, which was Rs 23.75 crore in 2012-13, increased to Rs. 25.28 crore during the next year, registering a growth of Rs.1.53 crore and the non-traffic revenue (commercial) increased from Rs.6.44 crore to Rs.7.87 crore during the same period, registering an increase of Rs.1.43 crore.
Similarly, the total revenue increased from Rs.30.19 crore to Rs.33.15 crore during the same period.
The total number of passengers, both domestic and international, registered a marginal decrease from 10,38,958 in 2012-13 to 10,13,689 during 2013-14.
Stir impactThe two-month agitation to protest against bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh had an impact on the movement of passengers.
Steady increaseThe passenger traffic from 2006-07 to 2012-13 registered a steady increase in all the years and it crossed the 10-lakh mark during 2012-13. The aircraft movement from the airport registered a steady increase from 2006-07 to 2008-09 but declined in 2009-10, perhaps due to the global recession. It picked up marginally in 2010-11 and sharply in 2011-12.
Thereafter, it declined marginally in 2012-13 and steeply in 2013-14.
This is due to the introduction of large bodied aircraft that can carry a number of passengers.
The industry, air travellers, and exporters are upbeat on the prospects of airport and expect an impetus to the growth of traffic and introduction of more domestic and international flights in view of the appointment of Vizianagaram MP Ashok Gajapathi Raju as Union Minister for Civil Aviation.