Vijayawada (Andhra Pradesh) [India], July 18 : Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu on Saturday inaugurated a terminal building at Vijayawada airport and said another terminal project at the airport is under construction and is expected to be completed within the next three months.
Speaking to reporters in Vijayawada, Naidu said, "I'm very happy to inaugurate the new terminal building in Vijayawada. It has come up quite beautifully and I would like to congratulate the team of Airports Authority of India (AAI), especially the Air Traffic Control (ATC) and Communication, Navigation, and Surveillance (CNS) team for this. We have built this with Rs 77 crores."
He added that another terminal project is underway at the airport and is targeted for completion within three months.
Highlighting efforts to improve connectivity from Vijayawada, the minister said domestic air links to Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi have been strengthened, while international connectivity has also expanded with the launch of flights to Singapore.
"There has been huge request for improving the connectivity here. To cater for that we have increased the domestic connectivity to metro cities, let it be Hyderabad, Mumbai or Delhi. Also international connectivity, we have started new connection to Singapore which is going very very good," he said.
The government also plans to connect Vijayawada to multiple international hubs under the hub-and-spoke model, allowing passengers to complete immigration formalities locally before boarding overseas flights, Naidu added.
The minister also said the Bogapuram airport project is ready for inauguration and operations are expected to begin soon after the Prime Minister inaugurates the facility.
"World class terminal has been built there for the passengers travelling from North Andhra region and we have requested the Honorable Prime Minister to inaugurate it and very soon once the date is confirmed, we are going to inaugurate the building and also start the operations from Bogapuram," Naidu said.