Centre gives nod for four greenfield airports

The Centre has given its clearance for four greenfield airports — three in Andhra Pradesh and an international airport at Dholera in Gujarat. A greenfield airport is a new airport which is constructed from the scratch as in Bengaluru and Hyderabad.

“The site clearance, which is the first clearance, was given on Monday for the Bhogapuram airport in Andhra Pradesh which is about 40 km from Visakhapatnam,” Rajiv Nayan Choubey, Secretary Civil Aviation, told newspersons after meeting various Central agencies connected with the project. Besides, clearance has also been given for an airport each in Nellore and in Kurnool districts through the public-private partnership route. These two are likely to be no-frills airports.

The completion of each of the projects could take up to six years at least with land acquisition taking up to three years and another three years being spent on the construction of each, officials said.

Earlier in the day, at a function at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad, the Union Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju, said, “The Centre will take up more airports depending upon their feasibility.”

Asked about clearances for new airport projects, he said that the Centre was looking at developing another major airport in the East Coast and Bhogapuram, which is close to Visakhapatnam, in a way fits that requirement.

The Centre’s decision to provide clearance to airports in Andhra Pradesh comes at a time that the State government has come out with a separate aviation policy aimed at attracting investments and developing new infrastructure in the State. It has outlined its support to provide viability gap fund (VGF) required for airports and related aviation infrastructure in the State. It has also come out with a proposal to create AP Regional Airport Development Fund with an initial corpus of ₹100 crore to be provided with budgetary support.

The developers have been assured 100 per cent exemption on stamp duty for land purchase and 100 per cent reimbursement of electricity duty, underwriting specific number of airline seats and reduction in VAT on aviation turbine fuel.