Flights from Kurnool to Visakhapatnam to commence soon

The Kurnool Orvakal Airport was inaugurated by Civil Aviation Minister, Hardeep Singh Puri, on Thursday. The airport is now open for the public and the first scheduled set of flights is said to take off on 28 March 2021, of which one flight will be to Visakhapatnam. The other cities are Bengaluru and Chennai.

The inaugural event, of the Kurnool Orvakal Airport, was done virtually. Operations are set to commence from 28 March 2021 under the Regional Connectivity Scheme- Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (RCS-UDAN). According to sources, from Kurnool to Visakhapatnam, flights will be scheduled four times a week.

This inauguration brings the total number of airports in Andhra Pradesh to 6. The state has 3 international airports at Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada and Tirupati. Now with the addition of Kurnool airport, together with Kaddapa and Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh has 3 domestic airports. With a hangar capacity of four flights, the Andhra Pradesh State Government intends to develop Kurnool into a major city of the Rayalaseema District.

Kurnool, which has been proposed as the judicial capital of Andhra Pradesh, its connectivity to major cities of South India is said to contribute towards the growth of the state’s economy. With a rich historical background, Kurnool also has many tourist spots like Nallamala Forest, Belum Caves, Sangameshwara among others. Hence, air connectivity to other cities is also expected to improve Kurnool’s tourism.

“With the first flight from Kurnool to Vizag scheduled for 28 March, we await a go ahead from Directorate General for Civil Aviation (DGCA). Which will be received in a day or two,” informed Raja Kishore, Airport Director, Visakhapatnam.

The delegation that was present at Kurnool airport included Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, along with other officials and stakeholders. Present virtually were senior officials from the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and Airport Authority of India (AAI).