Kadapa airport runway expansion works next year

Kadapa: Kadapa Airport Director P Siva Prasad Reddy disclosed that the Central government allocated Rs 100 crore for expansion of runway from 1719 metres to 2,500 metres length and also its width by 45 metres at Kadapa Airport.

Addressing a meeting after inaugurating Trujet flight from Kadapa to Vijayawada here on Thursday, he said the runway expansion project of the airport will be taken up in 2019 and they would be completed on a war-footing in the same year.

He said that after completion of runway, there will be possibility of running night services and also landing of flights at night time at the airport. Reddy said airport terminal building will be constructed and proposals were sent to the Centre seeking approval.

He said that as part of Central government’s Udan Regional Connectivity Scheme (URCS), air services were introduced in Kadapa on April 17, 2017. He said Trujet company earlier launched services to Hyderabad and later to Chennai. He said about 30,000 passengers travelled during the last 8 months from Kadapa airport, and they are planning to transport 1 lakh passengers during 2018-19.

He said a 6-megawatt solar power project is also going to be constructed in 100 acres of land at Valluru mandal in the interest of providing uninterrupted power supply round- the-clock.

He said this project will be completed within one year. Reddy thanked Collector T Babu Rao Naidu for sanctioning Rs 8 lakh for beautification of Kadapa Airport.

Trujet Operations head T Prasad said that keeping in view the good response from public his company was planning to operate more services from Kadapa Airport. He said that 90 per cent of tickets were booked for Kadapa–Vijayawada service on Thursday.

He said that his company was operating connectivity services to Chennai and Mysore via Kadapa airport. Airport ATC in-charge Biju Narayana, K Ashok Reddy and others were present.