Vijayawada Airport: New terminal building likely to be ready by June next year

New Delhi: The construction of the new integrated terminal building at Vijayawada airport is expected to be completed by June next year, civil aviation minister K Rammohan Naidu told the Lok Sabha on Thursday.

The project for the construction of the new integrated terminal building and associated works at the airport at an estimated cost of Rs 611.80 crore was approved by the Union government in June 2020.

In a written reply, Naidu said there has been no cost overrun for the project till now. The project faced delays primarily due to the late receipt of environmental clearances and unforeseen natural calamities, including the Covid-19 pandemic, multiple cyclones, and unusually high rainfall.

The projected timeline for the completion of the work is June 2025, he said. The minister also said the actual timeline is contingent upon various factors, such as the availability of mandatory approvals and clearances and the removal of obstacles by the respective airport developer.

The project has achieved 48.5 per cent physical progress, and an expenditure of Rs 279.93 crore has been incurred till June 2024.

As per Greenfield Airports Policy, 2008, the government had granted in-principle approval for setting up of three greenfield airports in Andhra Pradesh. The project cost for the Dagadarthi Airport is Rs 293 crore, Bhogapuram Airport is Rs 4,727 crore, and Oravakal Airport is Rs 187 crore. The Oravakal airport became operationalised in March 2021. At present, there are 157 operational airports, heliports and water aerodromes.