Naidu adamant on increasing air connectivity in AP!

Come what may! Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu is keen on developing eight new airports – six Greenfield and two Brownfield airports. The government is planning to set up AP Regional Airport Development Fund with an initial corpus of Rs.100 crore which will improve air connectivity to two tier and three tier cities of the state.

The government is planning to execute this projects through Public Private Partnership models by giving incentives like 100 per cent exemption on stamp duty for land purchased or leased to develop and upgrade airports, as well as 100 per cent reimbursement on electricity duty and property tax to the successful bidder or consortium.

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Government will have minor stakes in these projects through equity or land costs. At present, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) manages five operational airports in AP namely Visakhapatnam, Tirupati, Vijaywada, Rajahmundry and Kadapa, while Puttaparthi airport is managed by the Sri Satya Sai Trust. While Visakhapatnam airport, which has a civil enclave, is controlled by the Indian Navy.