Nod for 3 New Airports in AP, 1 in Telangana

New Delhi: Union Ministry of Civil Aviation on Monday gave an ‘in principle’ approval for four new airport projects. The Steering Committee on greenfield airports headed by Civil Aviation Secretary RN Choubey, has cleared the proposal on the new airports in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh (AP).

Three new airports will come up in AP at an estimated cost of Rs 2,376 crore. The Steering Committee has given site clearance for the proposed aerodrome at Kothagudem in Telangana.

The international airport at Bhogapuram would be developed by the Andhra Pradesh government under Public Private Partnership (PPP) at an estimated cost of Rs 2,200 crore to cater to 6.3 million passengers per annum (mppa) in the initial phase.

The ‘in principle’ nod has been granted for airport projects at Bhogapuram and Dagadarthi, both in Nellore district, and Orvakallu in Kurnool district, according to an official release.
The international airport at Bhogapuram would be developed by the Andhra Pradesh government under Public Private Partnership (PPP) at an estimated cost of Rs 2,200 crore to cater to 6.3 million passengers per annum (mppa) in the initial phase.

The other two would be developed as domestic no-frills airports with an estimated cost of Rs 88 crore each. While Dagadarthi would be developed under PPP mode, Orvakallu would be taken by the state government itself. Together, these airports would cost Rs 2,376 crore.

The committee has recommended ‘site clearance’ for the greenfield airport project at Kothagudem. With this project, Telangana would be getting a second greenfield airport after Hyderabad international airport.
These clearances are expected to enhance the aviation infrastructure facilities in the newly created states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and will also boost the regional connectivity scheme, the release said.

To boost air connectivity, the government has announced regional connectivity scheme under the new civil aviation policy. The scheme would provide various incentives to airlines and airports while the fare would be capped at Rs 2,500 for one-hour flights.