‘City airport should be used exclusively for civilian purpose’

Govt. must acquire land from the Navy for its development, says VDC

June 17, 2019 12:43 am | Updated 07:47 am IST - VISAKHAPATNAM

Visakhapatnam international airport handles 2.5 million passengers per annum.

Visakhapatnam international airport handles 2.5 million passengers per annum.

Vizag Development Council has urged the State government to make Visakhapatnam international airport an exclusive civilian airport by acquiring land at the disposal of the Navy to handle 40 million passengers by 2050.

VDC vice-president O. Naresh Kumar told The Hindu that the city airport, at present, has only 350 acres for civilian airport and the remaining of the 1,250 acres was under control of the Navy.

By developing a world-class terminal on line of the Terminal 5 of Changi Airport in Singapore, the authorities could cater to the needs of the projected passenger count for 2050 and avoid troubling passengers to go to Bhogapuram, where an international airport is proposed, to catch a flight, he observed.

Additional burden

“A to and fro journey to Bhogapuram will add an additional burden of ₹2,000 on passengers for engaging a cab,” he pointed out and strongly favoured the demand for bring the city airport under the purview of the Ministry of Civil Aviation for further development.

With flights to Dubai, Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and other international destinations, the airport is now handling 2.5 million passengers per annum.

Mr. Naresh Kumar said the proposed airport at Bhogapuram would be 40 km away from the city and reaching there on the highway would take at least an hour. “Hence, the Navy should be convinced to make use of the runway at Bhogapuram to meet its requirement. Bhogapuram is also close to INS Kalinga,” he said.

‘Risky affair’

He said that as operations in the city by the Navy for training purpose close to the HPCL Visakh Refinery would be risky, it would be better if it is shifted to Bhogapuram. It could also make use of the airport proposed by the Air Force at Bobbili and the facilities coming up at second naval base at Rambilli too, he suggested.

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