The AP Non-Resident Telugu Society sought daily international flights in the Visakhapatnam-Dubai/Sharjah and Tirupati-Kuwait routes
Members of the AP Non-Resident Telugu Society (APNRTS) has asked the Civil Aviation Ministry to permit interested private airlines to operate daily international flights in the Visakhapatnam-Dubai/Sharjah and Tirupati-Kuwait routes.
In a letter to Indian Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, APNRTS President Venkat S Medapati said NRIs (non-resident Indians) and migrant workers — mostly from East and West Godavari, and Visakhapatnam districts — residing in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have been facing difficulties while travelling to and fro UAE due to lack of direct flights, despite there being international airports at Vizag, Tirupati and Vijayawada.
“Prawns have a shelf life of three days. With no direct flight from AP, exporters are reaching out to Hyderabad for sending the aqua products to the UAE. By doing so, one valuable day is lost due to transit from the production unit in AP to the Hyderabad airport. Farmers from AP are losing out financially as prawns with less shelf life have lower demand.”
— Venkat S Medapati, APNRTS President
“Previously an Air India flight operated between Dubai and Visakhapatnam with one stop at Hyderabad. The said flight was running successfully with full occupancy till March 2020. Following the outbreak of the pandemic, the flight was grounded and has not been operated since. When some of the NRIs enquired with Air India-Dubai office about resumption of flight between Vizag and Dubai, they were informed that the route was not feasible due to current management policies and priorities,” Medapati said, reportednewindianexpress.com.
AP was also one of the major exporters of aqua products. The APNRTS president said the lack of a direct flight was hampering the interests of shrimp farmers. Prawns and fish, cultured in West and East Godavari districts, are exported to other countries, including the UAE, every day.
“Prawns have a shelf life of three days. With no direct flight from AP, exporters are reaching out to Hyderabad for sending the aqua products to the UAE. By doing so, one valuable day is lost due to transit from the production unit in AP to the Hyderabad airport. Farmers from AP are losing out financially as prawns with less shelf life have lower demand,” Medapati said.
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