The battered roof of Vizag airport in the aftermath of Cyclone Hudhud.
Tomorrow, passengers will be able to fly in and out of the airport at Visakhapatnam, five days after it was contorted brutally by Cyclone Hudhud. Two Air India flights will land and depart from the port city, known as Vizag among locals, which was so viciously targeted by the cyclone that it's still without power.
The roof of the airport terminal, built in February 2009, suffered extensive damage. Crucially, the runway was spared and the Air Traffic Control tower was not damaged extensively, said officials, allowing a relatively early re-opening considering the onslaught of the cyclone, which struck Vizag city at wind speeds of 180-195 km per hour.
Nine flights will be made operational on Saturday, said officials, who warn that facilities at the airport will remain basic for a while. Tarpaulin sheets will stand in for a roof at the passenger terminal. Because computer systems were ripped out by the cyclone and have not been reinstalled yet, hand-written boarding passes will be issued. There will be no air-conditioning. Conveyor belts may not work, so baggage will be handled manually. The room reserved for VIPs will be used for senior citizens and passengers with special needs.
By the end of the month, the airport will be back to normal, said officials, and international flights will start operating on November 1.
Vizag hosts an enormous naval base, which helps maintain the city's airport. 500 crores will be needed to completely restore the airport.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's plane landed here on Tuesday when he arrived to review the battered landscape in and around Vizag and the relief operations that are being supervised personally by Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu.
Naval aircraft have also been using the airport to bring in essential supplies like food packets.