The Communist Party of India (CPI) has urged the State government to continue commercial flight operations at the existing Visakhapatnam airport even after the commissioning of the new international airport at Bhogapuram.

A CPI delegation from the Visakhapatnam North constituency submitted a memorandum to the Revenue Divisional Officer at the District Collectorate on Monday.

CPI Visakhapatnam district assistant secretary Patrapalli Chandrasekhar welcomed the inauguration of the Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport at Bhogapuram but said the existing city airport should continue to serve passengers.

He claimed that several cities, including Delhi, Mumbai and Goa, continue to operate existing airports alongside newer facilities. Discontinuing commercial services at Visakhapatnam airport would inconvenience passengers, IT companies, industries, educational institutions and businesses that rely on regular air connectivity, he said.