Two new flight services between Vizag-Vijayawada inaugurated

Visakhapatnam: The new daily flights between Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada launched by Air India Express and IndiGo will serve distinct needs of both cities - Visakhapatnam with its focus on industry and tourism and Vijayawada, capital city, as the centre of administration and commerce, said Union Minister of Civil Aviation, Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu here on Sunday. Inaugurating the new Air India Express and IndiGo daily flights connecting Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada at Visakhapatnam International Airport here, he said the two new services will enhance accessibility for business, education and tourism supporting economic activity and social mobility within Andhra Pradesh.

“This is the first time, two flights to a destination have been introduced at a time,” he mentioned, adding that there is a chance for the reduction of ticket cost as more seats are now made available.

The new flight service features convenient timings, with flights departing Visakhapatnam at 9:35 am and arriving in Vijayawada at 10:35 am. The return flight leaves Vijayawada at 7:55 pm, arriving in Visakhapatnam at 9 pm. Next, the flight services will be considered for Varanasi and Ayodhya from Visakhapatnam. Also, from Visakhapatnam to Goa, the Union Minister informed.

Congratulating the IndiGo and Air India Express for its rapid expansion across India’s domestic network which is significantly enhancing connectivity, the Union Minister said an Air Services University with international standards will be set up at Bhogapuram and infrastructure for aviation services will be facilitated in 500 acres.

Talking about the hoax bomb threats, the Union Minister said that the Centre is taking it very seriously and a detailed inquiry with the support of the social media platform X, Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) and Intelligence is in progress.

Speaking about the launch of the new route, Aloke Singh, Managing Director, Air India Express, said, “We are excited to contribute to the growth story of India’s emerging urban centres. With a rapidly growing fleet of about 90 aircraft that continues to expand, we are committed to meeting the connectivity needs of a dynamic economy and will make every effort to improve travel options that support aspirations of these vibrant regions.”

From Visakhapatnam, Air India Express operates 28 weekly flights directly connecting to three domestic destinations including Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Vijayawada. The event was attended by Members of Parliament Kesineni Sivanath and Golla Babu Rao, Visakhapatnam West MLA PGVR Naidu (Gana Babu), Visakhapatnam International Airport director Raja Reddy, among others.