For the upcoming greenfield international airport at Bhogapuram, executed by the GMR Group, Union Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu, a Member of Parliament from the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), and party head and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu have pledged their full support to ensure the first phase is ready by January-June 2026. Additionally, a 500-acre economic hub is being proposed near the airport to promote aviation and other industries. The government believes the stretch from Bhogapuram airport towards Visakhapatnam has the potential to become an industrial hub and attract investors. The Centre is also examining the feasibility of opening an airport in Anantapur, close to Bengaluru in neighbouring Karnataka. Currently, Andhra Pradesh has three international and three domestic airports. The Ministry of Ports has received 29 new proposals from Andhra Pradesh, worth about Rs 33 billion, covering projects ranging from port development to the construction of coastal berths and fish landing centres. The Centre's Sagarmala marine logistics development scheme is providing financial assistance to 13 projects in Andhra Pradesh, valued at around Rs 25 billion, including Ro-Pax and passenger jetties, fishing harbours, port modernisation, and skill development. The Visakhapatnam Port Authority and the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) have undertaken 36 projects in the state at an investment of Rs 46 billion, of which 22 projects (worth Rs 25.3 billion) have been completed. The international cruise-cum-coastal terminal was built at Visakhapatnam Port to cater to passengers from around the world. Of the proposed 29 new projects, the ports ministry has partially funded four projects worth Rs 12 billion. For the development of Bhavanapadu Port, Ramayapatnam Port, and Machilipatnam Port, the state government has been asked to restructure the projects and explore funding through special assistance under the PM GatiShakti scheme for infrastructure development. The projects related to coastal berths and fish landing centers have been forwarded to the Ministry of Finance for approval. After a slowdown in recent years, work on four new ports Ramayapatnam, Bhavanapadu, Kakinada Gateway, and Machilipatnam is expected to speed up under the new administration. These new ports are expected to increase the state's cargo handling capacity by 110 million tonnes and create 75,000 jobs. The government is also investing in improving facilities at its existing six ports. (Source: BusinessLine)