CPI(M) seeks retention of Vizag airport for domestic flights

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has urged the Centre and the state government to retain the existing Visakhapatnam airport as a domestic airport even after the proposed Bhogapuram International Airport becomes operational in Vizianagaram district.

Addressing a press conference at the party’s district office on Thursday, CPI(M) district secretary M. Jaggu Naidu alleged that the Centre and the state government had agreed with GMR to shut down the Visakhapatnam airport once the Bhogapuram airport is commissioned.

He said the closure of the existing airport, which has been serving the region for several decades, would adversely affect employment, tourism, transport, and the services sector. It would also increase travel time and costs for passengers from Visakhapatnam and neighbouring districts, he added.

Jaggu Naidu appealed to Visakhapatnam MP M. Sribharat and the district’s MLAs and MLCs to intervene and ensure that the existing airport continues to function as a domestic airport. He suggested that domestic flights to major cities, including Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Vijayawada, should continue to operate from Visakhapatnam, while Bhogapuram airport could handle international services.

As part of its campaign, the CPI(M) will organise bike rallies from July 10 to 13 and submit representations to the MP, MLAs, and MLCs, urging them to take steps to prevent the closure of the Visakhapatnam airport.