NELLORE: The State government has taken a step towards establishing the proposed greenfield airport at Dagadarthi in Nellore district by commencing the contractor selection process for the ambitious infrastructure project estimated at Rs 648.59 crore.
The airport will come up on a substantial land bank of around 650 acres earmarked for core aviation infrastructure, with an additional 726 acres set aside for commercial development and city-side expansion. The private developer will build, finance, and operate the facility under a 45-year concession agreement with the State, following the Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer model.
The procurement process got underway when the government floated an Expression of Interest on May 29, with firms required to submit proposals by June 12. Technical bids are currently under evaluation, while financial bids were scheduled to be opened on June 17. Planned across four phases with a development horizon stretching to 2070, the airport’s immediate milestone is the completion of Phase-1(A) by the 2028-29 financial year.
This first phase will see the construction of a runway, a passenger terminal, and essential airside infrastructure, retail spaces, and passenger amenities.
“The project would strengthen connectivity across the combined districts of Nellore, Prakasam, Kadapa and Chittoor. Phase-1(A) is designed to handle around 2,282 passengers daily, with capacity for approximately 27 aircraft movements and a peak-hour throughput of 799 passengers,” Nellore MP Vemireddy Prabhakar Reddy said.
The airport will have a dedicated road link to the Chennai-Kolkata National Highway, the MP added. Crucially, all statutory clearances - from the Ministries of Civil Aviation, Home Affairs, and Environment, Forest and Climate Change - are already in place, removing a key bottleneck that has stalled similar projects elsewhere.