Vijayawada Airport expansion to complete by 2025:Rammohan Naidu 

The Capital News 

The Union Civil Aviation Minister, Rammohan Naidu, responded to a question from Machilipatnam Janasena MP Vallabhaneni Balashouri in the Parliament regarding the expansion of Vijayawada Airport. The expansion work of Vijayawada airport commenced in June 2020 with an estimated cost of 611 crores.

However, due to various reasons such as the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and the non-availability of essential construction materials like sand, the work has been delayed. Minister Rammohan Naidu emphasized that the airport expansion is a priority and the goal is to complete all the works by June 2025.

He also highlighted the substantial development in the civil aviation sector’s infrastructure over the past decade, with increased demand shifting from the railway sector to the aviation sector.

In response to Member Balasauri’s inquiry about restoring flights from Vijayawada to Mumbai, Minister Rammohan Naidu explained that the ministry does not have the authority to directly influence the increase in air services.

He clarified that airlines make decisions based on demand and market conditions, while the ministry can only provide infrastructure. However, he assured that the requests from members are being positively considered and forwarded to relevant organizations for review