VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh has set its sights on becoming India’s “Eastern Gateway” with the clearance of the Andhra Pradesh Aviation Policy 2026-31 (APAP-2026). A Government Order was issued on Saturday (June 6) after the Cabinet approval, replacing the State’s decade-old civil aviation framework with a sweeping five-year plan that blends connectivity, industry, and investment into one integrated blueprint.
At its core, the policy is about scale. AP currently accounts for just 1.5% of India’s passenger traffic, far behind States like Maharashtra and Karnataka. The new framework aims to lift that share to 4% by 2035 and 7% by 2047, requiring a