Bhogapuram Airport: Andhra CM To Lay Foundation For Rs 5,000 Crore Greenfield Airport On 3 May

The long-awaited dream of Northern Andhra people for aerial connectivity will soon come to fruition as Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy will lay the foundation for the Bhogapuram international airport on 3 May.

This was informed by the state's Industries Minister Gudivada Amarnath, while visiting the site earmarked for the airport.

"Within 24 to 30 months after laying the foundation, the airport construction will be completed," Amarnath was quoted as saying in a statement.

Strategic Location

The proposed greenfield airport site lies on the border of Visakhapatnam and Vizianagaram districts, and is approximately 45 km from Visakhapatnam, through NH-5 and 25 km from Vizianagaram via NH-43.

The site is strategically located on the east coast and stands to benefit from the vast catchment area surrounding the region.

Moreover, the beach corridor development is underway, in proximity to the proposed International Airport in Bhogapuram, which will provide impetus to retail and hospitality developments in the region.

The Minister, who visited the site earmarked for the airport, said up to 2,195 acres of land out of the 2,203 acres required had been acquired and the rest would be procured soon.

GMR Visakhapatnam International Airport Ltd (GVIAL), a 100 per cent subsidiary of GMR Airports Ltd (GAL), is the Concessionaire for the development and operations of Bhogapuram Airport near Visakhapatnam.

The project involves design, build, finance, construction, development, operation and maintenance of the airport for the period of 40 years, extendable by additional 20 years.

Closing Vizag Airport

The Centre had granted site clearance to the Andhra Pradesh state government in January 2016, for development of Bhogapuram Greenfield airport with a provision that scheduled commercial operations at the Civil Enclave — at the existing Vizag Naval airfield — will be stopped for a period of 30 years once the operations of Greenfield Airport at Bhogapuram starts.

Subsequently, 'In-Principle' approval for development of Bhogapuram airport was granted in October, 2016.

The international airport will have an investment of Rs 5,000 crore in the first phase, according to G M Rao, Chairman of the GMR Group.

The airport’s first phase would have a capacity of six million passengers, which would go up to 40 million after completion of the entire project. It will also create about one lakh direct and indirect employment.