AAI team begins two-day inspection of sites for proposed greenfield airport in Bhadradri

A multidisciplinary team from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) on Monday inspected three of the alternative sites identified by the State government for the proposed greenfield airport in Bhadradri Kothagudem district The inspection comes after a pre-feasibility study found two earlier identified sites unsuitable for the airport last year, prompting the district administration to shortlist five to six alternative locations.

The shortlisted sites include Seethampeta in Sujathanagar mandal, Chaparalapalli in Mulakalapalli mandal, and Penagadapa in Chunchupalli mandal, and locations in Dummugudem and Palvancha mandals, official sources said. On the first day of its two-day exercise, the AAI team surveyed the three sites, examining land availability, geographical coordinates, revenue maps and other technical details.

Earlier in the day, the team held discussions with Khammam MP Ramasahayam Raghuram Reddy and district officials at the Singareni guest house in Kothagudem. The discussions covered the requirement of a suitable site for a 2,500-metre to 2,700-metre runway capable of handling ATR-72 and Airbus A320/A321 aircraft, besides the requisite logistics and infrastructure.

The presence of electrified railway lines used for coal transport near one of the alternate sites was also discussed, sources said. The team will inspect the remaining sites on Tuesday. It is likely to undertake a detailed technical feasibility study and submit a report to the government.