Govt. plans Rs. 1500-cr airports upgrade

In view of the increasing air passengers' traffic in the area, the government has decided to invest Rs. 1,500-cr on runway expansion at Vijayawada, Tirupati, and Rajamahendravaram in Andhra Pradesh. It may be recalled that Vijayawada, among others, witnessed an increase in air passengers by 71% followed by Visakhapatnam (65%) and the facelift has been aimed at catering to the rising passenger traffic. In addition, the Aviation ministry has also announced to set up an international airport in Bhogapuram on the outskirts of Visakhapatnam in the state, said official sources, adding that land acquisition for the project in question has almost been completed and the work on the project is set to start shortly. This is aimed at the Centre's keenness on improving regional connectivity by developing greenfield airports and augmenting facilities at the existing airports.