Cheerful news for Air passengers in AP

In the last five years, the frequency of flights from Vijayawada, Rajahmundry and Vizag to various destinations has drastically reduced due to various political reasons.

With Naidu back in power after the recent assembly elections and also the allotment of cabinet portfolio of Civil Aviation for TDP MP Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, airports in our state are likely to get a big boost.

Also, the services for different destinations are set to shoot up. One such latest development is the resumption of flight operations between Vijayawada and Mumbai.

Following a prolonged pursuance by Machilipatnam MP Balasouri, who defected to Janasena from YSRCP and won the recent Loksabha elections, flight services from Vijayawada to Mumbai are going to resume from today evening after a gap of four years.

The operations between this route were suspended in 2020 following COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. Balasouri took an initiative long back and made constant efforts to resume the services between Vijayawada and Mumbai. They finally became fruitful recently and the operations are set for resumption now as there is a change in the government.

An Air India flight will reach Vijayawada from Mumbai today at 17:15 hrs and it will be welcomed by the airport staff with a water fountain. This will be followed by a cake ceremony in the terminal building.

Vijayawada MP Kesineni Chinni and Machilipatnam MP Balasouri will attend this event as special guests. Both MPs will distribute boarding passes to the travellers. The scheduled flight will take off at 19:10 hours everyday in Vijayawada.

Air India is planning to increase the services between this route based on the influx of customers. It opened ticket booking last month and each ticket is priced Rs 5600. The flight can carry 185 passengers during each trip.

This resumption of service will enable traders from Vijayawada and surrounding areas to travel to Mumbai every day as it is a hub for many businesses. The new service opens up a number of opportunities for business travellers as well due to the high frequency trade activities in Mumbai.

Along with Balasouri, the Andhra Pradesh Chambers association has approached the Airport Authority of India and Air India to resume the services between Vijayawada and Mumbai. Air India welcomed the request and informed its feasibility to reopen the service.