Visakhapatnam: Vizag airport has registered 15 per cent growth in passenger traffic, 21 per cent and 24 per cent growth in aircraft movement and domestic cargo handling respectively in 2018-19.
In 2018-19, about 28.53 lakh passengers travelled from Vizag airport, while in 2017-18 the number of passenger footfall was 24.81 lakh. Aircraft movement increased from 20,021 to 24,237 in the corresponding.
Presently, 60 flights are being operated from Visakhapatnam airport in spite of withdrawal of Jet Airways services and shortage of aircraft due to various reasons.
Cargo handling registered the highest growth when compared to passenger traffic and aircraft movement. In 2018-19, around 6,013 tonnes of cargo was handled against 4,845 tonnes handled during the previous year.
However, AP Air Travellers Association (APATA) is concerned with the high air fares.
As some airlines cancelled their operations due to various reasons, grounding of Boeing 737 Max aircraft and summer vacation has brought more demand for the air tickets.
The APATA has decided to take up the matter with the Ministry of Civil Aviation demanding to take necessary measures. The DGCA has recently asked airlines to cut fares on more than 10 domestic routes to a reasonable level.
