Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh (AP) has set its sights on becoming India’s “Eastern Gateway” with the clearance of the Andhra Pradesh Aviation Policy 2026-31 (APAP-2026). A Government Order was issued on June 6 after the Cabinet approval, replacing the State’s decade-old civil aviation framework with a sweeping five-year plan that blends connectivity, industry, and investment into one integrated blueprint.
At its core, the policy is about scale. AP currently accounts for just 1.5% of India’s passenger traffic, far behind States like Maharashtra and Karnataka. The new framework aims to lift that share to 4% by 2035 and 7% by 2047, requiring a dramatic expansion in annual passenger handling capacity from 6.2 million to 30.38 million. To make this possible, the policy sets a 150 km radial accessibility target for every citizen, to be achieved through the development of nine new airports, a network of regional waterdromes, and the upgrading of minor domestic airstrips across the State.
AP Chambers president Potluri Bhaskara Rao called it “the first of its kind in India,” noting that the policy goes beyond passenger transport to establish AP as a hub for aviation, aerospace, logistics, and aircraft maintenance.
The framework includes specialised Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) facilities, aerospace manufacturing clusters, and component industries, all tied into the State’s broader Aerospace and Defence Policy. This integration is expected to generate thousands of jobs across airlines, airports, logistics firms, and technical institutes.
The blueprint also redraws the State’s aviation map. The Visakhapatnam International Airport civil enclave will shut down for commercial flights once Bhogapuram International Airport opens, with GMR tasked to elevate Bhogapuram into a global airline hub. In the capital region, a greenfield airport at Amaravati is projected to become a major international gateway once global conditions stabilise.
Meanwhile, the Puttaparthi–Bengaluru corridor is being positioned as a rising aerospace cluster, linking Anantapur’s industrial base with Bengaluru’s established aviation ecosystem. Beyond infrastructure, the policy tackles long-standing frustrations for business travellers. Unsynchronised flight schedules between Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada have often forced overnight stays, pushing commuters toward premium rail options like the Vande Bharat Express.
09/06/2026 Raksha Anirveda
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