VIJAYAWADA: Air India extended its Delhi-Vijayawada flight service till Tirupati, which will commence from October 27. The flights will operate three days a week. Responding to a request by YSRC Rajya Sabha member V Vijaya Sai Reddy to introduce new flights for better connectivity of the State, Air India decided to extend its service. According to a press release, the airlines was planning to start flight operations from Vijayawada to destinations like Tirupati, Visakhapatnam, Shirdi and Bengaluru.
Air India Chairperson and Managing Director Ashwani Lohani, in a letter to Vijaya Sai Reddy, said the airlines had examined the MP’s request and decided to extend the Delhi-Vijayawada flight AI 459/460 to Tirupati. The flight service will operate as Delhi-Vijayawada-Tirupati-Vijayawada-Delhi, starting from October 27. Lohani also said that earlier, Alliance Air was operating flights between Vizag-Vijayawada-Bengaluru and Vizag-Vijayawada-Tirupati routes daily till July 19 this year.
“The flights were not meeting their cost of operations and hence ceased to operate from July 19. However, at the request of AP government, Alliance Air began a daily flight service with ATR aircraft in Hyderabad-Vijayawada-Vizag-Vijayawada-Hyderabad route from October 1, 2019,” the Air India CMD said.
With respect to flight services between Vijayawada-Tirupati-Vizag, Vijayawada-Shirdi and Vijayawada-Bengaluru routes, Lohani said the routes will be considered as and when the resources are properly augmented.Vijaya Sai Reddy thanked the CMD for responding positively to his request and considering starting more services in the State.