Vijayawada airport gets international status; flights to abroad soon

New Delhi: The Union Cabinet today gave its nod to international status for Vijayawada airport in Andhra Pradesh. This is as per provisions of Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, Union minister Arun Jaitley said at a media briefing.

The act bifurcated the state into Telangana and residual Andhra Pradesh. As a result, the capital Hyderabad as well as the states lone international airport situated in the city were transferred to the new state of Telangana.

The decision is in keeping with "passenger traffic growth and demands from airlines and Andhra Pradesh government," an official statement said.

The government hopes that the international tag for the airport at Gannavaram near Vijayawada will help improve connectivity to Andhra Pradesh and attract more domestic and international tourists.

"Airports Authority of India has undertaken upgrade of requisite infrastructure and facilities for international operations," the statement added. Earlier this year, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu inaugurated the new transit terminal building at the airport.

Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu welcomed the decision and said this will help generate employment for at least 1,150 people.

The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 provides that the Centre must "examine the feasibility of expanding the existing Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada and Tirupati airports to international standards and take an expeditious decision thereon."