AP turns focus on airports

Vijayawada : With the Industry looking towards Andhra Pradesh as an investment destiny, the state government has decided to speed up the pending works on all airports which it had conceived between 2014 and 2019.

While the Bhogapuram International Airport will be ready by June 30, 2026, works on the new terminal at the Gannavaram Airport are being put on fast track. Though Gannavaram is an international airport, at present it has small terminals and hardly has any international flights operating from there.

The works for expansion and construction of new terminals are on and according to Vijayawada MP and Airport Authority Committee vice-chairman Kesineni Sivanath (Chinni), the new terminal would become operational within nine months.

A day after Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu reviewed the works of Bhogapuram and other airports on Thursday, the Gannavaram airport officials gave a power point presentation to explain the progress of the ongoing works at the Gannavaram airport. The MP said that efforts were on to see that more flights both national and international operate from the Gannavaram airport.

On the other hand, efforts are also on to see that necessary land was allocated for the Donakonda airport so that the works could be put on fast-track. The works had begun on this airport but have been dragging on as the previous government neglected it. Naidu asked GMR to see that the Kadapa airport becomes more passenger-friendly so that more flights can be operated from this airport. He said another important airport would come up at Kuppam and plans were being made for a few more airports in the state.

Naidu said this was necessary since the state had great potential to attract industries for which road, rail and air connectivity was most important. The CM said that during his visit to Delhi recently, he had urged Union Minister Nitish Gadkari to modernise, expand and improve the highways. He said the Union Minister had assured to take up necessary works soon.

Along with that if the airports also come up then industrial growth can be put on fast-track, the Chief Minister said. It will also help in direct and indirect job creation and will promote tourism as well.