India's aviation sector is poised for a takeoff. While the country readies its plan to double the count of airports by 2047 to 300, four new airports will be established in Andhra Pradesh. These airports will be built in Kuppam, Dagadarthi, Nagarjuna Sagar, and Mulapeta. Remember, the state’s capital Amaravati already has an airport and the first flight from there is likely to take off next month.
In addition, the state government has decided to speed up the pending works on all airports it conceived between 2014 and 2019. The Bhogapuram International Airport, which is currently under construction in the state, is likely to be operational by June 2026.
Andhra Pradesh and TDP supremo Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu recently said that Bhogapuram will emerge as the best growth engine in the state. He added that the international airport will start with passenger traffic of 4.8 million -- given it would be the major greenfield airport for Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli, East Godavari district, and areas bordering Odisha.
Naidu also invited the Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ramamohan Naidu to visit all the international airports in the country and experience how the Bhogapuram airport was constructed with the latest technology and best design.
Currently, 138 airports are operational in the country, and India's airport authority is planning to have 300 operational airports by 2047. The plan includes developing existing airstrips to build full-fledged airports and constructing new airports from scratch. Well, the airport expansion plan will form part of the Viksit Bharat and in short, Vision 2047. While presenting the Interim Budget on the 1st of February this year, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman outlined the government’s vision of ‘Viksit Bharat by 2047.’
The draft plan - called the National Airports Development Plan - shows that 70 airstrips can be developed into full-scale airports capable of handling narrow-body aircraft. In addition, 40 airstrips have been identified that can be upgraded to handle smaller aircraft. The plan also says that in case, an existing airstrip can not be developed owing to any reason, then a greenfield or a new airport will be built. This would be to ensure that there is a civilian airport within a radius of 50 km. The overall draft is currently under discussion by the Civil Aviation Ministry and the Airports Authority of India.
As for the overall growth of Andhra Pradesh - after the comeback of Naidu - the work on several projects has re-started. For instance, the construction work on the state's Amaravati capital project has picked pace. Not just this, the long-pending Polavaram irrigation project, and setting up a BPCL refinery are some other projects that have garnered attention.
The budget is due for presentation on 23rd July and an announcement about projects such as Amaravati is likely.
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