Direct flight from Vijayawada to Dubai from October 29

VIJAYAWADA: A direct flight from Vijayawada to Dubai would commence operations from October 29.

Member of Parliament from Machilipatnam Vallabhaneni Bala Shouri, in the Airport Advisory Committee meeting, said on Saturday that the flights from Vijayawada to Mumbai should be resumed immediately. He also wanted another flight to Delhi should be introduced as there was a demand from flyers due to rush.

The meeting was held at Vijayawada (Gannavaram) Airport on Saturday.

The MP also directed the officials to set up duty-free shops for the convenience of passengers and a forex counters for international passengers. The MP had also openly expressed his disappointment as the construction work of the new terminal building was still incomplete. "In the last meeting, 21 percent of work was complete, but only 10 percent of the work has been carried out in the last 6 months. The project manager and contractor concerned should pay attention and the work should be completed soon," he said. The MP further said that a mic announcement should also be made and signboards should be set up to inform the passengers about the available free Wi-Fi at the airport.

"Passengers should be allowed to board the flight even if there is a delay of five minutes," Balashouri urged the authorities concerned.

Construction of a community hall at a cost of Rs 1 crore was also approved in the meeting. The MP had also condemned the travel companies who charge exorbitant prices from the passengers. He further said that vehicles of Uber and Ola should be allowed to enter the airport premises. District Collector Ranjith Basha, SP Joshua were present in the meeting among others.