PM Modi inaugurates Andhra Pradesh’s Bhogapuram international airport

The airport has been designed to handle six million passengers annually in the first phase, with a master plan to expand capacity to 40 million passengers annually

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated the Visakhapatnam Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport at Bhogapuram and announced that the Centre will extend all its support to the upcoming Visakhapatnam Economic Region, which will play a pivotal role in Andhra Pradesh’s development journey and evolve into one of Asia’s most significant economic hubs.

Modi said it was a matter of pride that the Bhogapuram airport had been named after freedom fighter Alluri Sitarama Raju, who sacrificed his life for the rights of tribal communities.

Modi also said the Centre is committed to creating the necessary infrastructure and ecosystem to transform the region into a major investment and employment destination. He said the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government’s development strategy was centred on attracting investments that would generate employment, increase production, boost exports, and ultimately improve the quality of life for people.

“Investment leads to production, production leads to exports, exports create employment, and employment transforms people’s lives. This is the development model the NDA government is pursuing,” the Prime Minister said.

He described the day as a landmark in Andhra Pradesh’s march towards achieving the ‘Swarna Andhra Vision’, and said projects worth nearly ₹18,000 crore, including the inauguration of the new international airport, were launched.

Calling the airport a “runway and launch pad” for the aspirations of North Andhra’s youth, Modi said it would significantly enhance employment opportunities and regional development.

Modi said the country had only 74 airports before the NDA government came to power, but that number had now increased to 166. “Air connectivity had expanded to smaller towns, while the UDAN regional connectivity scheme had enabled millions of first-time passengers to travel by air,” he said.

He also referred to the expansion of the “Smart Airport” model from Kashi to Amritsar, saying it had strengthened international air connectivity to 25 countries.

He also said people had blessed Andhra Pradesh with a “double-engine government,” enabling the NDA administration under Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan to accelerate development.

Described as the “Gateway to North Andhra,” the Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport at Bhogapuram was built at a cost of nearly ₹4,727 crore in a record time of 31 months.

The airport has been designed to handle six million passengers annually in the first phase, with a master plan to expand capacity to 40 million passengers annually in the future.

The project is expected to play a pivotal role in boosting economic growth, tourism, industrial investments, exports, logistics, aerospace and defence sectors across the erstwhile Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts.

The airport has been developed by GMR Visakhapatnam International Airport Limited (GVIAL) under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model using the Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer (DBFOT) framework.

The integrated project spans 2,703.26 acres, and includes comprehensive airside infrastructure, commercial development, residential zones and approach roads.

A key highlight is its 3,800-metre Code-E runway, capable of handling wide-body aircraft such as the Boeing 777, Boeing 787 Dreamliner, Airbus A330 and Airbus A340. The airport is also equipped with advanced airfield lighting, navigation aids and CNS/ATM infrastructure to support both domestic and international operations.

Bhogapuram Airport is expected to significantly strengthen North Andhra’s export ecosystem through a 25,000 metric tonne annual capacity cargo terminal.

Srinivasa Rao is Senior Assistant Editor based out of Hyderabad covering developments in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana . He has over three decades of reporting experience.