Groundbreaking ceremony for Nellore Airport likely on August 24

Nellore: Groundbreaking ceremony of Nellore airport is tentatively to be held on August 24 and the Chief Minister has to finalise the date. Managing Director of Turbo Aviation Private Limited Vankayalapati Umesh visited the project site on Saturday and interacted with the project staff. Umesh, interacting with the mediapersons who met him, said that the cargo flights are going to be started from the airport for the first time as part of improving logistics from the region.

The domestic airport is being constructed under PPP mode and the State government had earmarked 1,350 acres of lands for the facility in Dagadarthi mandal. Both cargo and passenger traffic are handled here and said they were expecting more cargo business by virtue of huge industrial activity in the region. Currently, cargo flights are being operated from Chennai and Kolkata airports and the proposed airport at Dagadarthi would cater to the huge needs of the area.

He said Krishnapatnam Port, NH-16, railway and road connectivity, and industrial zones are advantages to the airport in the district. Aqua products, bulk drugs, flowers, vegetables, marine products, and others will be exported to other parts of country and globe. Passenger flights would also be operated to various countries as soon as the facility is stabilised. He said they would require Rs 350 crore for taking up works initially and they would expand basing on the need, he explained. He exuded confidence that the works would be completed by 2020.