From Our Correspondent
Vijayawada: The integrated terminal building at Gannavaram Airport, launched five-and-a-half years ago with a budget of ₹470 crore, remains far from completion despite promises that it would be ready in 30 months. More than 68 months have passed, yet there is no clarity on when the facility will finally open. Union Minister Ram Mohan Naidu has inspected the site twice, issuing stern warnings to the contractor and officials, but little has changed on the ground.
Local MPs V.Balashouri and K.Sivanath—both influential at the Centre—have repeatedly flagged the issue in development committee meetings, but progress remains sluggish. The contractor has already missed multiple deadlines, including the latest one set for December, which officials now admit is unattainable. Some officials privately concede the terminal may not be ready even by June 2026. Despite the prolonged delay, no punitive action has been taken against the contractor.
Inside the terminal, civil works are largely complete, but exterior works—steel framing and glass installation—are still ongoing.
Growing passenger pressure — and growing frustration
The delay comes at a time when air traffic in the region is rising sharply. In 2024–25, Gannavaram Airport handled 1.38 million passengers, a significant jump from previous years. With economic activity increasing in and around Vijayawada, demand for direct air connectivity—domestically and internationally—is expanding rapidly.
The coastal districts are home to a large NRI population living in the USA, UK and Australia. Currently, these passengers must fly into Hyderabad or Chennai from abroad and then take a connecting flight to Vijayawada. The absence of direct international flights creates long, expensive and inconvenient travel itineraries. Aviation experts say a modern terminal with enhanced capacity and immigration facilities could finally make direct overseas flights viable, delivering huge relief to thousands of travellers.
A facility built for the future — but stuck in the present
Once completed, the new integrated terminal is designed to handle up to 7.5 million passengers annually, transforming Gannavaram into a major aviation hub for Andhra Pradesh. The previous TDP government had already upgraded the runway to handle large Boeing aircraft, yet the lack of terminal capacity has meant these long-planned capabilities remain underutilized for nearly seven years.
Airlines have been reluctant to start long-haul or higher-capacity services due to inadequate infrastructure and limited terminal space. As a result, services remain confined mostly to Delhi and Mumbai.
With rising public demand and clear economic potential, officials and elected representatives are under increasing pressure to ensure the terminal’s speedy completion. The wider sentiment across the region is that the delays are now unjustifiable—and costly for both passengers and the state’s growth prospects.