VIJAYAWADA: The State government signed a concession agreement for the development of greenfield airport at Dagadarthi in Nellore district, with SCL-Turbo consortium of Nellore International Airport Private Limited on Thursday. The pact was signed by M Venkateswarlu, Managing Director of Andhra Pradesh Airport Development Corporation Limited, and Vankayapati Umesh, Managing Director of Nellore International Airport Private Limited, in the presence of Principal Secretary (Energy, Investment and Infrastructure, CRDA) Ajay Jain.
Speaking on the occasion, Ajay Jain said the commercial operations from Dagadarthi Airport are expected to commence from January 2020. “The airport will be located 25 km from Nellore city and will be a catalyst for the socio-economic, tourism and industrial development of Nellore district and the adjoining regions,” he said.
The new airport, once starts functioning, is expected to play a key role in regional air connectivity. The foundation stone ceremony is likely to be in either July or August and the final call on the issue will be taken after consultation with Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. Dagadarthi airport is envisaged to be a low-cost no-frills airport to be developed in Nellore district on public-private-partnership basis. The airport will be developed in 1,352 acres of land at a cost of `368 crore and will be the first airport project to be developed in the new State of AP.