Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated the Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport at Bhogapuram in Andhra Pradesh's Vizianagaram district, a nearly Rs 5,000-crore greenfield project expected to boost connectivity and drive economic growth in the state's north coastal region.
Developed by the GMR Group, the airport will begin commercial flight operations from August 17 with an initial annual passenger handling capacity of six million, which is planned to be expanded to 40 million passengers in subsequent phases.
The Bhogapuram facility is the second greenfield airport in the country to become operational this year, after Uttar Pradesh's Jewar airport, which commenced commercial operations on June 15.
The Andhra Pradesh government has projected the airport as a key infrastructure project aimed at accelerating industrial development, employment generation, exports, skill development and research across North Andhra.
Spread over 2,200 acres, the airport has been developed by GMR Visakhapatnam International Airport Ltd (GVIAL) under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model using the Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer (DBFOT) framework.
The broader integrated development spans 2,703.26 acres, comprising the airport across 2,203.32 acres, a 500-acre aviation hub, and an aviation university and EduCity spread over 136.63 acres. The project also includes airside infrastructure, commercial and residential developments, and approach roads.
GMR Group said the airport was completed several months ahead of schedule.
During the inauguration, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Union Civil Aviation Minister K. Ram Mohan Naidu briefed the Prime Minister on the project's key features.
GMR Airports Ltd, which already operates six airports, said Bhogapuram is its third greenfield airport after Hyderabad and Goa.
"We are confident that the airport will emerge as a major gateway for India's eastern corridor, driving investment, employment and regional prosperity for decades to come," GMR Airports Ltd Business Chairman G. B. S. Raju said.
Modi also laid the foundation for and inaugurated projects worth nearly Rs 18,000 crore in the southern state.
Modi laid the foundation stone for the Rs 460 crore ASIP Semiconductor Project at Visakhapatnam, being developed by ASIP Technologies Pvt Ltd in partnership with APACT, Republic of Korea.
“It is Andhra Pradesh's first semiconductor manufacturing facility approved under the India Semiconductor Mission, which will manufacture around 96 million semiconductor chips annually and foster a robust ancillary ecosystem to support semiconductor manufacturing,” a PIB press release had said.
Likewise, the PM laid the foundation stone for the Transmission System for the integration of Kurnool-IV Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) - Phase-I (4.5 GW), being implemented by POWERGRID through a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) at an investment of about Rs 5,550 crore.
He also inaugurated the transmission system for Kurnool Wind Energy Zone and Solar Energy Zone (Andhra Pradesh) – Part A & Part B, implemented at a cost of around Rs 3,550 crore, besides the transmission scheme for Solar Energy Zone in Ananthapuram (2,500 MW) and Kurnool (1,000 MW), implemented by POWERGRID at a cost of over Rs 820 crore.
“These transmission projects will enable the evacuation of power generated from the renewable energy zones in Kurnool and Ananthapuram and the transmission of power to beneficiaries across the country through the National Grid,” said the release.
They will facilitate the integration of a large quantum of renewable energy into the grid, improve the availability of clean power for demand centres, and contribute to India's energy transition and decarbonisation efforts by reducing dependence on fossil fuel-based power generation.
Further, the PM dedicated to the nation and laid the foundation stone for National Highway (NH) projects worth over Rs 1,880 crore.
The projects launched include the four-lane access-controlled greenfield highway from Recherla to Guruvaygudem section of NH-365 BG, the four-lane access-controlled greenfield highway from Guruvaygudem to Devarapalle section of NH-365BG, and the four-lane Tadipatri Bypass on NH-67.
PM Modi also laid the foundation stone for a high-level bridge at Lingasamudram on the Penchalakona–Yerpedu section of NH-565.
These projects will ease congestion in Vijayawada and several other cities, improve road safety, reduce travel distance and travel time between Visakhapatnam and Hyderabad, and promote regional connectivity.
(With inputs from PTI)