The Wait is Over: Fresh Life Breathed into Dagadarthi Airport

The long-pending Dagadarthi greenfield airport project in Andhra Pradesh’s Nellore district has received fresh momentum after the state Cabinet approved its revival and fast-tracking.

Situated near Dagadarthi in the Kavali constituency, the proposed airport is expected to enhance regional air connectivity and catalyse industrial and economic growth. The Cabinet approved the acquisition of an additional 418.14 acres near Damavaram village through a perpetual lease, with compensation fixed at ₹13 lakh per acre. This brings the total land requirement to nearly 1,379 acres, of which around 900 acres had been acquired earlier. Planned as a no-frills airport with an estimated project cost of ₹1,000 crore, the facility is designed to handle approximately 0.83 million passengers annually, in addition to cargo operations.

Nellore District Collector Himanshu Shukla stated that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu is personally committed to the project, describing it as critical to the district’s development. With tenders floated under the public-private partnership (PPP) model and reviews by the Airports Authority of India underway, the airport is expected to become operational within the next few years, marking a significant step forward for the region’s growth.

News by Rahul Yelligetti.