Since Vijayawada Airport received international status in 2017, repeated appeals have been made to start direct flights to Dubai. Surveys revealed that passenger demand for Dubai flights is higher than for Singapore, with over 2.5 lakh people voting in favor. Yet, the proposal has not materialized. Officials said that a Dubai link would connect Vijayawada to major global cities like New York, London, Paris, and Sydney. Currently, only Sharjah flights operate twice a week, while new services to Singapore’s Changi Airport will begin from November 15.
Vijayawada Airport handled only 2.31 lakh passengers in 2014–15, but services expanded rapidly under the previous TDP government, crossing 12 lakh by 2018–19. However, passenger numbers dropped significantly during the YSRCP tenure as flights reduced from 60 to 24 per day.
At present, around 4,000 passengers travel daily. Officials estimate that the number may exceed 15 lakh by 2025–26 if new international routes are added.
The TDP government earlier planned to launch a Dubai service in January 2019 under the Viability Gap Funding (VGF) model. However, the subsequent YSRCP government halted the Singapore route and shelved the Dubai proposal.
