The much-anticipated new integrated terminal building at Vijayawada International Airport is set to miss its latest completion deadline of March 31, 2026, marking another setback for the project. The delay stems from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) still being in the process of appointing a new contracting agency to finish the remaining work.
Project Timeline and Current Status
Construction on the ambitious Rs 611-crore terminal began in December 2018. However, progress has been sluggish, with only approximately 80% of the work completed to date. The AAI had to terminate its previous contractor, NKG Infrastructure Private Limited, due to the slow pace of construction. This forced the authority to initiate a fresh tender process to find a new firm to execute the pending tasks.
Challenges in Contractor Selection
An official from the Vijayawada International Airport, speaking on condition of anonymity, revealed that the bidding process itself caused delays. "The deadline to submit the tender bids was auto-extended to January 13," the official stated. The process was slowed by a low number of bids received. The official added that the Letter of Acceptance (LoA) is expected to be issued by the end of January 2024, after which a clearer picture of the final completion date will emerge.
Potential bidders have expressed concerns about the tight schedule. During pre-bid meetings, contracting firms requested an extension of the work completion period from the stipulated three months to at least six months. They argued that finishing the remaining construction would require a minimum of half a year before the building could be handed over to the AAI.
Revised Deadlines and Commissioning
Given these hurdles, the March 31, 2026 deadline now seems unattainable. "The March 31 deadline appears to be unlikely at the moment, and the deadline might be pushed to June or July," the AAI official further explained. Even after construction is finished, it will take an additional two months to commission the building and make it operational for passengers.
This delay is the latest in a series of postponements for the project, which is critical for enhancing air connectivity and infrastructure in the region. Stakeholders and passengers are now looking at a potential mid-2026 opening, pending the smooth onboarding of the new contractor and the timely execution of the remaining 20% of the work.
