AAI seeks resumption of Vijayawada-Varanasi flight on textile traders’ plea

VIJAYAWADA: Following the demand from textile traders and Cloth Merchants’ Association in Vijayawada, Airport Authority of India (AAI) has reportedly written to airline companies to resume operating direct flight services between Vijayawada-Varanasi. Apart from pilgrims visiting the famous Kashi Viswanath temple in Varanasi, traders dealing with textiles travel to Varanasi for making bulk purchase orders from the traders there. Varanasi is famous for garments and traders from across south India and other parts of the country purchase garments from there.

Over the years there is a huge demand for flight services between Varanasi and Vijayawada, especially from devotees thronging the Kashi Vishwanath temple and from textile traders, official sources said. Considering their demand, SpiceJet launched its flight Boeing 737-800 aircraft with 189 seating capacity to Vijayawada from Varanasi via Hyderabad in February 2017. At that time, the passenger occupancy ratio stood between 70 per cent to 80 per cent.