VIJAYAWADA: The proposed international service from Vijayawada to Dubai has been called off as no single flight operator showed interest in running the service. In the ‘public opinion’ poll, conducted before inviting bids, 3.5 lakh people had evinced interest for this service.
Had everything gone as planned, it would have been the second international service from Vijayawada.
The Andhra Pradesh Airports Development Corporation Limited (APADCL) called for tenders for operating Vijayawada to Dubai international flight services on February 26, this year. As per the tender notice, the airline operator who quoted the lowest Viability Gap Funding would have been awarded the bid. No operator came forward.
Speaking to TNIE, CEO of APADCL Virender Singh said, “The proposal has been put on hold as of now. The results of the tenders did not turn out well. With the formation of a new government, we are yet to discuss the project and cannot assure it happening anytime soon”.Currently, Vijayawada airport handles one international service, which is a direct service to Singapore. The APADCL had carried out a survey on its website in January this year.