VISAKHAPATNAM: Traffic congestion at the Visakhapatnam International Airport will be a thing of the past soon as it is set to get a Rs 20-crore facelift. As part of the makeover, the existing three lanes at the airport will be expanded to seven, which will be further connected to the national highway to ease flow of traffic.
Proposals and designs have been prepared and tenders will be invited in December. Development works are likely to begin in February next year. The canopy at the airport will also be extended till the car parking area, both towards the right and left. Besides, signage boards will also be set up.
Speaking to TNIE, director S Raja Reddy expressed that the new facilities at the airport could attract airline companies to increase the number of aircraft as all flights from Vizag to most metro routes fly with an occupancy rate of more than 90 per cent.
Elaborating on the development works, he said, “We frequently face the issue of congestion as both departure and arrival passengers use the same route to enter and exit the airport. However, now dedicated lanes will be laid so that there will be separate exit and entry routes at the airport. These dedicated lanes, which will be connected to the national highway, will also ensure that vehicles no longer have to take a long circuitous route to drop or pick up passengers at the airport.”
Exuding confidence that the airport will cross pre-Covid passenger traffic of 2.85 million, the official pointed out, “The airport recorded 2.50 million passengers in the financial year 2022-23. In the current fiscal (2023-24), we have registered passenger footfall 1.50 million as of September.”
Raja Reddy said, “The increasing passenger traffic has necessitated the works to improve amenities and infrastructure at the airport. In this view, we proposed to expand the three-lanes to seven at the airport.”