The Gannavaram airport near here will from now on be known as Amaravati airport, as the new capital of Andhra Pradesh (Amaravati) is coming up in Guntur district, according to Civil Aviation Minister P. Ashok Gajapati Raju.

He was speaking at the airport after the new terminal, built at a cost of Rs 137 crore, was inaugurated by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu in the presence of Union Ministers M. Venkaiah Naidu, B. Dattatreya, Sujana Chowdary, and others here on Thursday afternoon.

He said the runway would also be extended to facilitate the landing of bigger aircraft and the "bhoomi puja" for runway extension had been performed prior to the inauguration of the terminal.

Raju said the airport would be developed in phases in tune with the requirements of Vijayawada, Guntur and the new capital city, Amaravati. He said there was great potential for exporting agri cargo from Amaravati airport.

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said the state wanted to develop an airport in each district. The airports and ports should be linked. He said the Amaravati airport here would be linked with Machilipatnam port. The work on Machilipatnam port would begin once the land acquisition process was completed. He thanked the farmers for parting with 750 acres for the airport expansion works here.

Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said Amaravati airport had a great future ahead of it. Urban development, he said, depended on air connectivity in this jet age.

sarma.rs@thehindu.co.in

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