Gannavaram airport registers 14 pc growth in first quarter

In the first trimester of 2017-2018 financial year, Gannavaram airport has registered a huge growth in passenger traffic by 14.28 per cent.

VIJAYAWADA: In the first trimester of 2017-2018 financial year, Gannavaram airport has registered a huge growth in passenger traffic by 14.28 per cent.

In the first quarter, Gannavaram airport registered 1.64 lakh footfall. Total 2,945 flight services have taken off between April 1 and June 30.

This is comparatively higher than the total passenger traffic which stood at 1.43 lakh with 2,706 flight services during the first quarter of 2016-17 financial year, a growth margin of 8.83 per cent as compared to this year.

Gannavaram Airport Director G Madhusudan Rao said, “The passenger growth rate by 14.28 per cent is less than what we expected. Many airlines had withdrawn their services despite Gannavaram having an international status. Still we managed to acheive such growth. By the end of second quarter, the number of services will increase as we are initiating talks with some of the airline companies.”

The financial year turned sour as Air Costa withdrew their services. Spicejet airline too limited their services restricting only to particular cities like Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Varanasi.

Zoom airlines and Supreme airlines which finalised their services from Gannavaram airport to cities like Mumbai and Jaipur are put on hold. Their services would have started by first week of May but due to reasons unknown, they have been delayed.

Meanwhile, during the last week of May, Indigo airlines visited the airport and surveyed the possibilities. Till date, the company has not finalised their arrival officially.

Last month, the company organised a recruitment drive in Vijayawada and recruited 500 people. Airport officials are expecting that the airline might soon start their service at Gannavaram airport from the month of September.

“We are aiming to touch one million passenger mark this year and also hoping that more international airlines will come forward to render their services,” said  Gannavaram Airport Director Madhusudhan Rao.

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