Bhogapuram Airport by 2026; Budagatlapalem Harbour Fast-Tracked

The Andhra Pradesh government on Thursday said the Greenfield International Airport at Bhogapuram is nearing completion and is likely to commence full commercial operations by mid-2026. The state will also directly execute the long-pending Budagatlapalem Fishing Harbour project after cancelling the earlier contract.

Replying during Question Hour in the Assembly, Roads and Buildings Minister B.C. Janardhan Reddy said all mandatory clearances for the Bhogapuram airport, including site, defence, and Coastal Regulation Zone approvals from Union ministries, were obtained before the foundation stone was laid.

Land acquisition for the project began in 2015 and was completed in phases by 2020, along with statutory approvals, he said. A concession agreement was signed on June 12, 2020, stipulating a 36-month construction period. The appointed date was declared on December 14, 2023, and the scheduled completion date is December 13, 2026. A commercial validation flight successfully landed at the airport on January 4, 2026, marking a key milestone, he added.

On fishing harbour projects, particularly Budagatlapalem in Etcherla constituency, the minister said the government has decided to take up the remaining works directly after terminating the previous contract, under which only about 25 per cent of the project had been completed.

He said the coalition government has sought a ₹135-crore loan under the Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment scheme and has submitted revised cost estimates of ₹445 crore for approval. Nearly 5,000 fishing families depend on the harbour, prompting legislators to press for its early completion, the minister said.