Tirupati airport still awaits international flights takeoff

Tirupati : The prospects for Tirupati International Airport to secure its first international flight have significantly improved under the leadership of the newly appointed Minister of Civil Aviation K Ram Mohan Naidu.

Having assumed office just a couple of days ago, the young Minister is poised to build on the efforts already made by Dr M Gurumoorthy, the dynamic MP representing the Tirupati Lok Sabha constituency.

With both the Minister and the MP actively collaborating, Tirupati Airport is set to overcome long-standing obstacles, paving the way for significant development and international connectivity.

The airport attained international status in 2017 itself but seeing flights to abroad has become a distant dream even today despite having all prerequisites. It has a night landing facility and the international terminal was inaugurated in 2015, even before getting international status.

A few years ago, customs and immigration wings were also set up and it was learnt that even the staff got posted. With no international operations taking place, the staff were sent back to their parent departments subsequently.

A few efforts were made earlier to run international flights to Malaysia, Kuwait etc., In particular, Tirupati MP Gurumoorthy has met the then Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and expressed the need to operate international services to the world famous pilgrim centre besides increasing air connectivity between Tirupati and all other major airports in the country.

Though the MP was then assured by the Minister to introduce a service between Kuwait and Tirupati soon, it did not materialise yet. Several people from the neighbouring districts are going to Kuwait, Muscat and other areas and such a flight will be of immense use to them. As the MP also won for the second time in the recent elections, he is expected to push things faster with the cooperation of the Minister who also hails from AP which may become fruitful soon.

There were also proposals to make Tirupati airport a hub for maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) as it was recognised that it has enormous potential. MRO services at Tirupati can serve existing traffic and share the load of the new fleet deployed by airlines to cater to increasing demand. This proposal has to be pushed forward now to make it a reality without any further delay.

The air cargo facility which was launched at the airport in 2021 could not get much attention and became non-functional now. It has failed to tap the cargo potential from Rayalaseema region and Nellore districts. Now, steps have to be taken to revive it which can enable transport of goods to many destinations on the same day itself. A rethink on why it could not reach the stakeholders has to be made before it is revived.