Connectivity to Vijayawada airport is getting better with SpiceJet introducing flights in the Tirupati-Visakhapatnam sector via Vijayawada later this month. It is one of the three airline operators currently serving Vijayawada, while Air India and Air Costa being the other two.
Spice Jet will also soon connect global destinations like Dubai, Bangkok, and Colombo to Vijayawada and Tirupati via Chennai and Hyderabad, according to airline industry sources.
TruJet is another new entrant that has plans for operating flights to Vijayawada, Tirupati, Hyderabad, and Kadapa.
The Tirupati-Visakhapatnam Spice Jet flight will leave Tirupati at 11.10 a.m. and reach Vijayawada at 12.15 p.m. and leave for Visakhapatnam at 12.40 p.m. and reach there at 1.40 p.m. In the return direction, the flight will leave Visakhapatnam at 2.20 p.m. and reach Vijayawada at 3.20 p.m. and depart to Tirupati at 3.40 p.m. and reach the temple town at 4.45 p.m.
The development of Vijayawada (Gannavaram) airport on a war-footing assumed significance as the city has become the temporary capital and is hosting several national and international programmes.
The focus is on this airport, while an international airport comes up in the emerging capital Amaravati.
Vijayawada airport is at present handling Airbus 320 and ATR type aeroplanes and the government has plans to enable it to accommodate much larger aircraft and necessary infrastructure for facilitating night landing is being created.
The new terminal building construction has gained pace and steps for setting up Customs and immigration points have already been taken.
Expansion
It may be noted that the Airports Authority of India has envisaged expansion of the runway to nearly 4.45 km in the long-term depending mainly on its viability.
A new cargo shed is an important facility coming up for storing air cargo before it is flown out to various destinations in the country. Top priority is being given to the airport as it is closest to Amaravati and just 23 km from Vijayawada railway station.
