Four months down the line, the Rajahmundry airport (yet to be rechristened as Rajamahendravaram airport) will achieve the reputation of having the longest runway in the State, as its expanded airstrip will be of 10,540 feet against the existing one of a stretch of 5,827 feet.
The international airport at Visakhapatnam is having a runway of 10,010 feet, which is being used commonly for the civil and military operations, whereas the existing runway in Vijayawada is of the length of 7,500 feet.
“The runway expansion works are getting delayed owing to the non-conducive climatic conditions. The works have come to a halt for the last one month and the same will be resumed once the dry spell prevails. Our tentative plan is to conduct the trial run on the expanded runway on December 6, which will be followed by the landing of Boeing aircraft,” M. Raj Kishore, Director of the Rajahmundry airport, has told The Hindu .
International flights
The completion of the runway expansion works facilitates the landing of Airbuses and Boeing craft, making the airport a destination for international flights. Since the construction of cargo terminal has already been completed, freight exports too will be commenced from this aqua and flora rich region to different domestic and international destinations.
“The expanded runway will also facilitate the operations of the air force and naval aircraft from this airport. In the event of any exigency in Visakhapatnam, the defence forces can resume their operations from here,” he explains. Having witnessed 26,000 commuters in January this year, the Rajahmundry airport is now seeing about 40,000 travellers a day. The number will likely to go up to 50,000 a month with two new airlines are going to operate their services from here in addition to the existing services.
Four-time growth
At present, the airport is the destination for the arrival of 11 flights and the departure of another 11 flights every day. In a period of eight months, there has been a four-time growth in the number of flights. Regular services are in the offing to three international destinations Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad now and the demand is on for cities like Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai.
“The occupancy is anything between 90-95% on any given day. People are happy with the competitive fares and the airline services on focussing on expanding their services to this airport,” explains Mr. Raj Kishore.
