: The Steering Committee on Greenfield airports, headed by Secretary, Civil Aviation (MoCA), on Monday gave ‘in- principle’ approval to three airport projects in Andhra Pradesh.
They are: Bhogapuram (Vizianagaram), Dagadarthi (Nellore) and Orvakallu (Kurnool).
The international airport at Bhogapuram will be developed by the State government under the PPP mode at an estimated cost of Rs.2,200 crore to cater to 6.3 million passengers per annum in the initial phase.
The other two airports in Andhra Pradesh will be developed as domestic ‘no-frills airports’ at an estimated cost of Rs. 88 crore each. Dagadarthi will be developed under the PPP mode, whereas the project at Orvakallu will be developed by the State government itself.
The Steering Committee has also recommended ‘site clearance’ for the Greenfield airport project at Kothagudem in Telangana.
With this, Telangana would get a second Greenfield airport besides Hyderabad International airport.
Welcome move: Chamber
Hailing the approval, president-elect of AP Chamber of Commerce and Industry Federation G. Sambasiva Rao said the new airports would provide better linkage and trigger economic growth of the State.
In a statement in Visakhapatnam, he said this should make Andhra Pradesh the preferred destination for investment in aviation and allied businesses and a hub of economic activity.
