The Union government on Monday granted site clearance for the construction of a large greenfield airport at Bhogapuram near Visakhapatnam, besides giving clearance to three other airports of which two
The Union government on Monday granted site clearance for the construction of a large greenfield airport at Bhogapuram near Visakhapatnam, besides giving clearance to three other airports of which two — at Kurnool and Nellore in Andhra Pradesh — are likely to be “no-frills airports”. The civil aviation ministry has also reportedly given clearance for construction of another greenfield airport — the Rs 1,378-crore international airport at Dholera in Gujarat — which is expected to reduce air traffic load at the existing Ahmedabad airport. A greenfield airport is a new airport which is constructed on an undeveloped site.
The Union government has been closely monitoring the progress of plans for construction of a mega airport expected to span over 5,000 acres in Bhogapuram. Sources said the Bhogapuram airport will be showcased as the “gateway to Southeast Asia” and is expected to rival the Hyderabad airport. According to sources, the new mega airport is expected to be constructed on the public-private partnership (PPP) model and the RFP for bids to construct it could be issued by March next year. The current Visakhapatnam airport is operated by the Navy. According to sources, the RFPs for the “no-frills” airports expected to be built at Kurnool and Nellore as per the PPP model are expected to be issued in a few weeks.
“The site clearance, which is the first clearance, was given on Monday for the Bhogapuram airport in Andhra Pradesh which is about 40 km from Visakhapatnam,” civil aviation secretary Rajiv Nayan Choubey was quoted by news agencies as saying. The ministry has also given its go-ahead for the development of greenfield airports in Nellore and Kurnool districts of Andhra Pradesh under the PPP model, the civil aviation secretary reportedly said. A meeting to monitor developments on this front was held at the ministry on Monday evening.
In addition, the current Vijayawada airport in Andhra Pradesh is also expected to be expanded and modernised. The Hyderabad airport, built as a greenfield airport a few years ago, was meant to serve undivided Andhra Pradesh but after bifurcation there is a move to build new airports for Andhra Pradesh.
