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Calibration Test Conducted At Bhogapuram Airport; CNS Equipment Installed

The first flight to the airport is expected in June next year: Reports

VISAKHAPATNAM: A flight test was conducted at the Greenfield Bhogapuram international airport on Saturday. A small aircraft hovered over the airport for some time and collected data.

The first flight to the airport is expected in June next year.

Tests at new airports are conducted to validate the airport's infrastructure, navigational aids and communication systems for safe and efficient commercial operations. These tests, also known as calibration flights, involve specially equipped aircraft landing and taking off under various conditions to assess the airport's operational readiness.

The data collected during these flights is reviewed by aviation authorities like the DGCA to ensure the facility’s compliance with safety and operational standards.

The communication, navigation and surveillance systems and air traffic management equipment have been installed at the airport recently. Around 80 per cent work is complete. The works include those on the terminal building, cargo handling complex, the 3.8km long runway and ATC building.

The airport project is being executed in three phases. In the first phase, the airport will serve 6 million passengers per annum, in the second phase 12 million and third phase 18 million.

The Visakhapatnam airport has a capacity to carry 3.8 million passengers but only 2.8 million passengers are using the airport at present.

Presently under the civil enclave of Navy’s INS Dega, the Visakhapatnam airport would be closed for 30 years from the date of commencement of operations at Bhogapuram.

GMR Visakhapatnam international airport ltd signed the concessional agreement with AP airport development corporation to develop, operate and maintain the Bhogapuram airport.

The project, being executed at a cost of ₹4,592 crore for its phase 1, is one of the most ambitious initiatives of the AP government.

The 40-km stretch between Visakhapatnam and Bhogapuram is currently experiencing rapid growth, with real estate firms launching new ventures and people flocking with investment proposals.

( Source : Deccan Chronicle )
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