As Naidu's team charts courses for economic revival, one thing's clear: in Andhra's political firmament, the bills for blue skies keep climbing, quarter by quarter, regime by regime.
Published Dec 13, 2025 | 7:00 AM ⚊ Updated Dec 13, 2025 | 7:00 AM
File photo of Chandrababu Naidu in a helicopter. (X/ SrikanthMLC)
Synopsis: Issued just a day ago on 11 December, this administrative sanction —detailed in G.O.Rt.No. 2341 by the General Administration Department —targets the third quarter of the 2025-26 fiscal year, covering everything from helicopter hires to aircraft charters for VVIP jaunts.
In a move underscoring the high-flying demands of governance, the Andhra Pradesh government has greenlit a hefty ₹10.92 crore infusion to its aviation arm, earmarked for the choppers and jets ferrying the state’s top brass through the clouds.
Issued just a day ago on 11 December, this administrative sanction —detailed in G.O.Rt.No. 2341 by the General Administration Department —targets the third quarter of the 2025-26 fiscal year, covering everything from helicopter hires to aircraft charters for VVIP jaunts.
Who is at the helm of these aerial escapades? Obviously, none other than Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, his deputy Pawan Kalyan, and IT Minister Nara Lokesh, whose frequent forays across the state and beyond keep the skies busy and the exchequer humming.
The funds, transferred via the state’s CFMS portal to the Andhra Pradesh Aviation Corporation Limited (APACL), are part of a broader ₹54.63 crore annual allocation.
Broken down quarterly, it is a steady drip: ₹19.12 crore for Q1, ₹10.92 crore for Q2 (already disbursed), the fresh ₹10.92 crore for Q3, and a capstone ₹13.66 crore slated for Q4.
APACL’s Managing Director had flagged the urgency, citing “mandatory expenses” tied to VVIP schedules – think Naidu’s whirlwind investor meets, Kalyan’s grassroots rallies in the coastal belts, and Lokesh’s tech summits in the urban hubs.
As the huge sums of money take wing in Naidu’s second stint as Chief Minister, whispers from the past can’t help but stir the air.
Less than a fortnight ago, on 2 December, a bombshell RTI response peeled back the curtain on the YSR Congress Party’s tenure under former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, revealing a staggering ₹222.85 crore splurge on air travel over his five-year rule from 2019 to 2024.
That’s public money funnelled into helicopters and special flights for Jagan’s tours – roughly ₹44.57 crore annually.
As Naidu’s team charts courses for economic revival, one thing’s clear: in Andhra’s political firmament, the bills for blue skies keep climbing, quarter by quarter, regime by regime.
Meanwhile, in the neighbouring Karnataka, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s air travel has cost the exchequer over ₹47 crore, between May 2023 and November 2025.
This information was provided to BJP MLC N Ravi Kumar in a written reply in the Legislative Council
However, the chief minister has clarified that this was for official visits only. Exemptions under Section 4(G) of the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement Act allow the use of special aircraft for VIP travel.
Siddaramaiah has flown to Mysuru 22 times in the last two and half years, and other destinations were New Delhi, Hyderabad and Chennai.
(Edited by Sumavarsha, with inputs from Nolan Patrick Pinto)
