Vizagapatam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) has appealed to the Airports Authority of India to take concrete steps to improve amenities at the Visakhapatnam International Airport.
Regretting the ranking of the airport at the bottom in the survey conducted by Airports Council International recently, VCCI president A.V. Monish Row stated in an e-mail to the AAI Chairman that the airport, which had witnessed jump in number of flights under operations and traffic should get priority in improving the facilities.
He sought improvement in parking, passenger queuing time, amenities like restrooms, shopping and eating options, faster luggage retrieval and other improvements to give better experience to the people. This would enable better ranking of the airport, which has flights to international destinations like Dubai, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Colombo.
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Mr. Row said the demand for air travel over the next two decades was set to double. Enabling people and nations to trade, explore, and share the benefits of innovation and economic prosperity would make the world a better place.
“We have been crying hoarse on the condition of government run airports in our country and especially Visakhapatnam International Airport. The media has reported that Vizag stands last in the survey conducted by the Airports Council International. Jaipur and Srinagar airports have stood first and second position,” he said.
The travel and tourism industry also relies on the airport to attract sufficient number of travellers which ultimately improved the city’s GDP benefiting the local business.
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Successfully meeting service expectations of regulators, airlines, passengers, and other stakeholders while optimising operating costs was the need of the hour, he emphasised.
“One point is becoming increasingly obvious as the pressure on airports increase. Efficient operations demand the AAI to look at all aspects as a holistic organism, including the smart use of technology and data,” he said.