From Empty ceremonies to real construction: who actually delivered the Airport?
The Bhogapuram International Airport has become the latest battleground for political credit, but facts, records, and timelines tell a story very different from the claims being made today. While there is a concerted attempt to rewrite history and appropriate credit, the documentary trail makes one thing unmistakably clear: Bhogapuram Airport moved from stagnation to execution only after 2019, under the leadership of YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. What existed earlier were announcements and ceremonies; what followed later was governance, approvals, land acquisition, rehabilitation, and construction.
2014–2019: grand announcements, little groundwork
Between 2014 and 2019, the Bhogapuram Airport project remained trapped in indecision and delay. The Chandrababu Naidu-led government spoke at length about the airport but failed to build the foundation required for such a massive infrastructure project. Although the project was first projected in 2015, land acquisition remained negligible. Out of the nearly 2,700 acres required, only about 377 acres were acquired during this period. Despite having a Union Civil Aviation Minister from the same party, the government failed to secure even the most basic approvals. There was no No Objection Certificate, no environmental clearance, no defence approval, and no rehabilitation plan for displaced families. Yet, in February 2019, just ahead of elections, a hurried foundation stone ceremony was staged. That ceremony neither marked the start of construction nor rested on legally acquired land, but it created a public illusion of progress.
Land Question: Why Farmers resisted
The original proposal under the previous government envisaged acquiring as much as 12,000 acres for the airport, triggering widespread protests from farmers. Even when the proposal was revised, the scale remained excessive and unjustified. As Leader of the Opposition, Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy stood firmly with the farmers, questioning the need for such vast land acquisition and pointing out that global airports operated efficiently on far smaller footprints. The pressure eventually forced the government to scale the proposal down to around 2,700 acres, though execution remained stalled and litigation mounted.
After 2019: A reset based on Planning and Law
After assuming office in 2019, the Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy government fundamentally reset the Bhogapuram Airport project. The first major correction was rationalisation of land requirements. The originally proposed 5,311 acres were reduced, based on final alignment and technical assessment, to 2,750.15 acres, large enough for current needs while avoiding unnecessary displacement. Land acquisition was taken up systematically, legal disputes were addressed, and rehabilitation was placed at the centre of the process. Of the total land, 546.89 acres were consciously retained by the State for city-side and future aviation ecosystem development, while the remaining project land was processed for handover.
Rehabilitation with Dignity, not displacement
Unlike the earlier approach, land acquisition under the YSRCP government was inseparable from rehabilitation. A total of 376 displaced families were resettled in well-planned colonies at Gudepuvalasa and Polipalli. Each family received five cents of house site, a substantial financial package, and access to modern civic amenities including roads, drainage, drinking water, electricity, schools, places of worship, and community halls. These colonies were built on a township model, reflecting a humane and lawful approach to development. Court cases pending in the High Court and the National Green Tribunal were contested and resolved, ensuring that the project moved forward without trampling on legal rights.
Approvals that were never taken earlier
One of the most critical differences after 2019 was the systematic securing of approvals. The Jagan government obtained clearances from the Airport Authority of India, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Civil Aviation, and environmental authorities. In November 2022, the long-pending No Objection Certificate for airport construction was finally issued by the Centre, followed by clearance for closure of the existing civil enclave at the Vizag naval airbase. These approvals—absent for years earlier—removed the final structural barriers to construction.
From Paper to Project: GMR and the appointed date
With approvals in place, the State moved decisively. The concession agreement with GMR Airports Limited was signed in 2020, but full execution became possible only after land acquisition and legal clearances were completed. By 31 October 2023, the Andhra Pradesh Airport Development Corporation handed over 2,203.26 acres of fully acquired land to GMR, giving the developer uninterrupted access to the project site. Only after these milestones were achieved did Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy lay the foundation stone on 3 May 2023—this time not as symbolism, but as the formal start of construction. On 1 November 2023, Bhumi Pooja marked the beginning of large-scale physical works, and the project achieved its Appointed Date shortly thereafter.
Construction gains momentum
By the end of 2023, the airport had moved firmly into the construction phase. EPC contracts were finalised, utilities such as water and power were sanctioned and extended, approach roads were funded, and boundary and runway works began. Construction progressed rapidly, with a target to complete the first phase by 2026, capable of handling six million passengers annually and accommodating wide-body aircraft on a 3.8-kilometre runway.
The Question That Refuses to Go Away
The attempt to claim credit today raises an unavoidable question: if the project truly began in 2015, why was it not completed between 2015 and 2019? Why were approvals not obtained? Why was land acquisition left incomplete? Why were farmers left without rehabilitation? Why did litigation persist across courts until 2022? The Bhogapuram Airport story, when viewed through facts rather than slogans, shows that progress did not come from hurried ceremonies or media publicity. It came from structured governance—land first, people first, approvals first, and construction next. That transition happened only after 2019.
Conclusion: Facts over fiction
Bhogapuram International Airport stands today not as the product of credit wars, but as proof that large infrastructure projects demand patience, planning, and political will. The records show clearly who laid stones and who laid foundations. In the end, history is written not by slogans, but by documents, dates, and delivery.
