Vijayawada airport: Traffic on rise, but no cargo flights in sight

VIJAYAWADA: The Vijayawada airport, anticipating huge passenger traffic in the days to come, is facing a major hindrance in mobilising facilities for expected increase in the cargo traffic. While major airports located on the coastal lines like Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Cochin are able to handle comfortable cargo, Vijayawada has not yet started the cargo operations. Despite several representations from various commercial houses, the Airport Authority of India (AAI) has so far not created cargo facilities at Vijayawada, resulting in the diversion of cargo traffic to other airports.

Though AP Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Federation (APCCIF) is confident about the possibility of creating cargo facility by the AAI within a couple of months, no such move is there from the ministry of civil aviation. Sharing his observations on the issue, APCCIF general secretary Potluri Bhaskar Rao said that they have been exerting pressure over the state and Union governments to peruse the cargo issue on top priority basis, keeping in view the huge increase in the traffic for the new capital.

“The proposal is before the ministry of civil aviation,” Mr Bhaskar Rao said, and added that within a couple of months, there is a possibility of creating cargo facility by the AAI. The APCCIF general secretary has underscored the need for creating cold storage facility, apart from the other infrastructure facilities like a warehouse. “This is the need of the hour,” he observed, and added that a lot of flora culture cargo is being shifted to other airports, because of the lack of cargo and cold storage facilities at Vijayawada.

The state government should look at the revenue-generating angle, he observed. Former minister Vadde Sobhanadreeswara Rao is also of the similar opinion and asked the state government to hand over the already declared land to the AAI to facilitate the runway extension works. “In the second phase (2026-2035) expansion of runway, Rs 973 crore would be spent to develop 3,960 metres runway,” the former minister said, and added that the required 470-acre land for this phase has already been handed over by the farmers to the state government. “Now, the government has to clarify as to what prompted them not to hand over the lands to the Airports Authority of India,” Mr Sobhanadr-eeswara Rao demanded.