Visakhapatnam Airport
Visakhapatnam Airport is a customs airport serving the Visakhapatnam District of Andhra Pradesh, India. It is located approximately 12 km (7.5 mi) from Visakhapatnam and is the second busiest airport in Andhra Pradesh after Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad. It is controlled by the Indian Navy, which carries out air traffic control support for both military and civil traffic. The airport has experienced mass growth in the last decade, with the construction of a new terminal and runway, and the implementation of international routes to Dubai and Singapore. The Airport is a non-towered airport, but has an air traffic control system in presence. Controllers are ground-based and direct aircraft movements via radio and other communication links. The airport's new terminal building has 3 Jet bridges.HistoryPrior to redevelopment, the airport saw low numbers of air traffic: in 1999 it was served with only one daily flight. On Jun 16, 2007, T. Subbarami Reddy, the then Union Minister announced that the Airport was fully prepared for international flights. A new and extended runway was build to land the Airbus A320 aircraft operated by Air Deccan. There were appeals to make Vizag airport an International Airport ever since then. Immediately the next month, JetLite and Air Deccan started flights to Visakhapatnam. Union minister of state for HRD, D.Purandeswari announced that after discussions with the defence minister M.M.Pallam Raju and Airport Authority of India, a decision has been made, so as to begin international and intercontinental operations from Visakhapatnam Airport.
