Demand rises for more slots to commercial flights at Vizag

Visakhapatnam: Even after commissioning of N5 Taxiway long ago, the delay in increasing slots for private airlines to operate their flights during peak hours from the Visakhapatnam International Airport also known as INS Dega Airport has upset all those involved in the hospitality sector.

The travel operators and frequent fliers are irked at the delay after seeing an impressive increase in demand for domestic as well as international travel following a significant fall in Covid-19 cases. Several countries have also removed restrictions like compulsory isolation and RT-PCR test before and after arrival at the destination.

Scoot Airlines is the first one to revive its direct flight from Visakhapatnam to Singapore. Talks are on for resumption of flights to Dubai and Bangkok.

"While allotting slots for the operation of commercial flights, the Navy is allotting the number of slots as per the old formulae prior to the creation of the new facilities. In fact, the commercial flights are being operated mostly in the peak hours only and there is a need to increase the allotment of slots in the peak hours. This will not reduce any of the existing slots of the Navy," Visakhapatnam MP MVV Satyanarayana, said in a letter written to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday.