VISAKHAPATNAM: Visakhapatnam airport sufferd a colossal damage due to the impact of cyclone Hudhud on Sunday. Though the estimate of damages is yet to be taken up by the Airport Authority of India and the Navy, official sources said that the loss could be at least ` 150 crore. However, chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu told reporters that the airport suffered a loss of ` 500 crore.
The roof of the airport was ripped apart and the premises turned into a battleground with debris all around. All the television sets and display boards along with the window panes have turned into shatters. The check-in counters for airliners were nowhere to be seen. Even the security equipment used for checking the passengers and their baggage is not functioning.
Damaged infrastructure includes two aerobridges, three escalators and five elevators apart from duty-free shops, online baggage conveyor system, customs and immigration facilities, restaurant and seperate lounges for VIPs and business lounges.
The good news is that the air traffic control system suffered only minor damages and the runway escaped the fury of the cyclone. On Tuesday, only the Navy flights and those carrying relief materials were operated and the officials said that operation of a commercial flight is a risky affair. ‘’We are yet to take up the loss estimations. But initial observations revealed that the losses could be at least Rs 100-150 crore. The exact extent of the damage caused by the cyclone can be known only after the power supply resumes when we check the functionability of the communication network and other equipment including the air traffic control tower,” said an official on condition of anonymity.
He said that though they can commence operation of passenger flights after a week, it would be a temporary arrangement and the airport cannot allow operation of all flights.
The airport had been shutdown on Saturday as a precautionary measure ahead of the cyclone. Following the severe damages to the terminal, it would be a while before a plane can take off from there. Till the airport is made operational, passengers wishing to fly in or out of the city, will have to travel to Rajahmundry, the nearest airport at about 190 km away.
Since beginning, a jinx appeared to be sitting on Visakhapatnam airport, the biggest in the truncated Andhra Pradesh. With repeated setbacks it has been facing since its inception particularly over construction of the new terminal, the latest cyclone devastation appeared to be the most brutal of all The airport would take at least a week for commencing temporary flight operations and another six months for recuperating and taking up operations in full.
From a mere airstrip to an international airport, the Vizag airport has a history over seven-decades. The airstrip was used to operate Royal Air Force planes during the World War II following which was abandoned until the first passenger flight was introduced between Visakhapatnam and Hyderabad in 1962. But due to lack of passengers no other flight was operated till 1976 when another flight was introduced between Visakhapatnam and Hyderabad via Vijayawada. ‘’The construction and growth of industries comprising public sector industries like the Steel Plant (VSP) and their ancillary units led to the introduction of a direct flight to Hyderabad,” recalled D Varada Reddy, president of the Air Travellers Association of India. The work on extension of the runway from 7,500 feet to 10,000 feet and construction of the new terminal building began in 2002. The then chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy inaugurated the ` 95 crore new integrated terminal building at Visakhapatnam airport in February 2009 .Interestingly, it took three more years to start night landing facility and another two years to commence 24-hour operations.