The new ASR International Airport at Bhogapuram near Visakhapatnam can handle 6.3 million passengers annually, with the capability to support up to 45 air traffic movements (ATMs) per hour.
| Photo Credit: KR DEEPAK
The anticipated transition of civil aviation operations from the existing Visakhapatnam International Airport to the new Alluri Sitarama Raju (ASR) International Airport at Bhogapuram has become a focal point of regional discourse. While persistent speculation on social media and various platforms has frequently indicated a formal inauguration date of July 26, local officials have clarified that no such schedule has been officially confirmed.Speaking to The Hindu, the Airport Director N. Purushottam emphasised that the administration has not yet received any formal communication from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) regarding the inauguration date. The project, which is in the final stages of completion, recently saw the postponement of a previously anticipated July 5 inauguration. Meanwhile, some private operators, such as the Singapore-based carrier Scoot, have updated their own advisory schedules, signalling a shift of their Visakhapatnam-bound operations to the new Bhogapuram facility by July 25.He confirmed that the ‘VTZ’ location code, currently serving the city, will be transitioned to the new facility at Bhogapuram.Passenger traffic growthThe current airport at Visakhapatnam, which functions as a civil enclave within the Indian Navy’s INS Dega, has served as a vital gateway to North Coastal Andhra Pradesh since opening for commercial service in 1981. Originally a World War II-era military airfield, the facility has experienced substantial growth, with passenger traffic climbing from approximately 1.1 million in 2014-15 to nearly 3 million in 2025-26. Despite runway extensions and terminal expansions in 2007 and 2022 to accommodate roughly 3.6 million passengers annually, the airport remains constrained by its dual-use status as a defence facility.New airport for high-capacity operationsThe new ASR International Airport at Bhogapuram, developed under a public-private partnership (PPP) by GMR Visakhapatnam International Airport Limited, represents a shift to a fully civilian facility. Construction reached a major milestone with a successful validation flight in January 2026. Designed for high-capacity operations, the first phase is engineered to handle 6.3 million passengers annually, with the capability to support up to 45 air traffic movements (ATMs) per hour.Why dual operations are unlikelyIndustry sources privy to the project have dismissed the feasibility of running the existing city airport and the new greenfield airport concurrently. They noted that unlike major metropolitan hubs such as Mumbai—where high traffic density may support multiple airports—Visakhapatnam’s aviation volume does not justify such a split.Furthermore, as a private-operator-led project, the new airport operates under commercial models that generally preclude maintaining older, competing facilities nearby. Observers pointed to the precedent set in Hyderabad, where commercial operations at the centrally located Begumpet airport were discontinued upon the opening of the new international gateway.The transition is ultimately anchored in a 2022 agreement between the State government and the Indian Navy, which mandates that civil aviation operations vacate the current enclave to allow for the Navy’s long-term military expansion at INS Dega. While the prospect of retaining the city airport for domestic flights has been raised, officials maintain that the move to Bhogapuram is a binding commitment essential to the region’s aviation future. As the region prepares for the launch, the industry and public await a formal directive from the PMO to finalise the transition. Published - July 02, 2026 07:15 pm IST
