The proposed Kuppam airport in Andhra Pradesh’s Chittoor district has received site clearance from the Union ministry of civil aviation, allowing the state government to move ahead with decisions on its development and execution model, according to a report by Deccan Chronicle.
The state has identified 1,788 acres for the airport and acquired 1,300 acres, with the remaining land requirement forming part of the project’s preparation. The first phase is estimated to cost ₹734 crore, while developing the airport in two phases has been pegged at ₹1,142.10 crore.
The government has proposed spending ₹198.75 crore on land acquisition at Kuppam and ₹146 crore on infrastructure development. These figures place land assembly and basic infrastructure among the immediate financial components of the project, even as the state finalises how the airport will be developed and operated.
The next step is to decide between two development models being examined by the state. Under the landlord model, the government would retain full ownership of the airport. The alternative is a public-private partnership route, which would involve selecting a private partner through the state’s project development process.
The Andhra Pradesh Airports Development Corporation (APADCL) has submitted proposals on the possible models to the government. A senior APADCL official told Deccan Chronicle that the government would communicate its decision to the civil aviation ministry and issue a request for proposals after finalising the development model.
Site clearance is therefore an important regulatory step, but it does not by itself establish a construction start date or confirm the final operating structure. Those decisions remain linked to the state government’s assessment of the landlord and PPP options and the subsequent selection of an executing agency.
Kuppam was one of nine locations identified by the Andhra Pradesh government for airport development. The wider proposal involves estimated investment of ₹6,418 crore and includes Amaravati, Nagarjunasagar, Tuni-Annavaram, Tadepalligudem, Ongole, Anantapur and Dagadarthi.
For Kuppam, the immediate implementation milestones are the state’s decision on the development model, communication of that decision to the Union civil aviation ministry and the issue of the request for proposals. The project’s construction schedule will depend on these steps and the appointment of an agency to execute the airport.
