Andhra Pradesh Defence Education City: Andhra Pradesh plans to build the country’s first fully integrated Aviation, Aerospace and Defence Education City near Bhogapuram in Vizianagaram district. The government will build this new project very close to the upcoming ASR Bhogapuram International Airport. The project will carry the name GMR–MANSAS Aviation EduCity. It will focus on training students for jobs in aviation, aerospace, and defence fields in India and also abroad.
MANSAS Trust and GMR Airports came together for this project. MANSAS Trust Chairperson and Goa Governor Pusapati Ashok Gajapathi Raju exchanged the memorandum of understanding with GMR Airports Chairperson G.B.S. Raju.
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Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu and Andhra Pradesh IT and Human Resources Development Minister Nara Lokesh attended the event and supported the plan. The MANSAS Trust gave the land needed for the project. Officials confirmed that the EduCity will spread across nearly 136 acres at Annavaram in Bheemili mandal, reported Mathrubhumi. The place sits very close to the Bhogapuram airport.
Training youth
The Aviation EduCity will work as a national platform to solve the shortage of trained aviation professionals. India and many other countries need skilled people in this field. The project wants to help India become a global supplier of trained aviation workers. The campus will bring education, research, and industry together in one place.
International branch campuses and well-known global universities will operate from the EduCity. The campus will also offer certification courses that follow rules set by DGCA, EASA, and other global aviation regulators.
The EduCity will not focus only on classrooms. It will also create research hubs that work on unmanned aerial vehicles, green and sustainable aviation, safety systems, and artificial intelligence. Students and young entrepreneurs will use incubation centres and start-up spaces inside the campus. These spaces will help them work directly with companies. The location near an international airport will allow students to get hands-on training and real-world experience.
Goa Governor Ashok Gajapathi Raju called the project a major boost for north coastal Andhra Pradesh. He said education-led development can change the region. He added that the EduCity would help local youth find employment opportunities without having to migrate elsewhere.
Vision for Aviation Growth and Jobs
Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu described the launch of the Aviation EduCity as a historic moment for the region. He spoke about India’s fast-growing aviation sector. He said India now operates around 800 aircraft and airlines have already ordered another 1,700 aircraft. He explained that each aircraft creates nearly 100 direct and indirect jobs. He also shared good news about the Bhogapuram airport. He said trial runs may start within a month. He added that the airport could open by May, earlier than the planned June inauguration.
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IT and HRD Minister Nara Lokesh said the project matches Andhra Pradesh’s long-term plans for skills, technology, and jobs. He said India’s aviation industry is growing very fast but trained people remain a big challenge. Lokesh said the State’s vision is to ensure that 25% of the global civil aviation workforce is Telugu. He explained that the Aviation EduCity is not just another college. He said it will work as a full ecosystem that creates job-ready professionals, supports advanced research, and delivers skills that meet global standards.
Officials said the project takes ideas from famous aviation hubs like Aero Montréal in Canada, the Washington-Seattle Aerospace Cluster in the United States, and Aerospace Valley in France.
