Airports in Andhra Pradesh have registered good growth during the financial year 2021-22 compared to the previous year. After a steep decline in passengers due to the cancellation of flights, uncertainty and restrictions on travel, the airports witnessed a growth with restoration of normalcy, this year.
Visakhapatnam International Airport, which handled 11,13,516 passengers during 2020-21, registered a 45% growth with 16,10,483 passengers during 2021-22. It is, however, Tirupati Airport which recorded the maximum growth of 77% with passengers handled increasing from 3,52,375 passengers to 6,23,341 during the same period, AP Air Travellers Association leaders K. Kumara Raja, O. Naresh Kumar and DS Varma said in a statement in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday.
Vijayawada International Airport registered a 23% increase in passenger traffic by handling 5,07,215 and 6,25,131 passengers respectively during 2020-21 and 2021-22 respectively. Rajahmundry Airport recorded an increase in passengers from 2,04,365 to 2,75,601, registering a 35% increase during the same period.
Tirupati Airport registered the highest increase of 43% in aircraft movements from 4,612 to 8,158 followed by Visakhapatnam Airport registering an increase of 28% with aircraft movements increasing from 10,671 during 2020-21 to 14,852 during 2021-22. Vijayawada Airport recorded an increase of 22% with aircraft movements increasing from 7,423 to 9,528 and Rajahmundry Airport recorded 19% increase with aircraft movements increasing from 4,612 in 2020-21 to 8,158 during 2021-22 fiscal.
The cargo movement at Visakhapatnam Airport registered 13% increase from 3,778 tonnes in 2020-21 to 4,326 tonnes in 2021-22, followed by 12% increase at Vijayawada Airport from 1,989 tonnes to 2,264 tonnes during the corresponding period.
There was no cargo movement from Rajahmundry and Tirupati Airports in 2020-21 but even the cargo handled by them was 9 tonnes and 83 tonnes respectively during 2021-22.
