A committee under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has accorded permission for the extension of the runway at Vijayawada airport in Andhra Pradesh to facilitate landing and take-off of bigger aircraft.

A proposal submitted by the Airport Authority of India said the airport is currently handling about 40 operations daily (20 landings and 20 take-offs) and the current capacity of the airport is about 3.60 lakh passengers a year.

After expansion, the airport capacity will go up to 7.50 lakh passengers. The additional facilities such as passenger terminal building will be developed within the existing airport complex.

“The Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC), on being satisfied with the submissions of the project proponent in response to its observations, recommended the project for grant of environmental clearance and stipulated the following specific conditions along with other environmental conditions while considering for accord of environmental clearance,” the EAC said in the minutes of the meeting.

Project cost

The total cost of the expansion will nearly be ₹145 crore.

The Vijayawada airport (at Gannavaram) has been witnessing steady growth after the bifurcation of the state in June 2014 and location of the capital city of Amaravati near Vijayawada.

With the capital city related air traffic depending on Vijayawada airport, it is proposed to expand it.

To meet the growing demands of the traffic and to facilitate bigger aircraft at the airport, the runway is proposed to be extended from the existing 2.286 km to 3.360 km, as per the AAI proposal.

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