Flying High: Visakhapatnam International Airport registers an increase of over 11% in passenger traffic in 2024

Visakhapatnam International Airport sees significant growth, introduces more flights, enhances passenger amenities, and focuses on sustainability and efficiency.

The passenger traffic, which was badly hit at Visakhapatnam International Airport during the pandemic, is not only back to normal but also went up significantly, necessitating the introduction of more flights to meet the growing demand. Two international services were revived and three new domestic flights were launched this year.

Several measures were initiated to improve air connectivity and they resulted in the airport witnessing a significant growth, registering an increase of over 11% in passenger traffic in the year 2024.

Handling 60 operations and over 9,000 passengers per day on an average, the airport, with as many as 18 parking bays, operates flights to Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Vijayawada, Tirupati, Port Blair, Kurnool, Jeypore, Singapore, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur.

Aiming at improving passenger amenities, as many as 10 additional check-In counters were added along with completion of In-Line Baggage Handling System (ILHBS). This system enables passengers to deposit their luggage at the check-in counters without any pre-security scanning, thereby reducing waiting time and enabling a quick check-in process. This system will be commenced once the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) approval is received.

As a part of all-India initiative to enhance passenger handling capacity of airports, many facilities like a new departure gate, four emigration counters and space for additional two Pre-Embarkation Security Check facility were created.

To simplify the cumbersome task of managing  documents like boarding passes, ID proofs and luggage tags at the airport, Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu had launched the ‘Digi Yatra’ service in Visakhapatnam on September 6.

“On the cargo front, the handling was outsourced to M/s. Omega Enterprises. This agency is handling all in/out bound domestic cargo of all Airlines. All efforts are being made to initiate international cargo handling from the airport. At present, A.P. Trade Development Corporation has agreed to operate the cargo facility and the corporation is in talks regarding commercial aspects,” says airport Director S. Raja Reddy.