Santosh Patnaik Visakhapatnam

Withthe work on the construction of Alluri Sitarama Rau International Airport being built by GMR Aero-led GMR Visakhapatnam International Airport Limited (GVIAL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of GMR Airports Limited (GAL) going at at a brisk pace for making it ready by June, 2026, six months ahead of schedule, a date is being awaited from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for its inauguration in July or August.

The first phase of the project is being developed at a cost of Rs4,592 crore by awarding the EPC contract to L&T. Though it is scheduled for completion in December, 2026, due to pressure from the State Government, the project proponent advanced it to June, 2026. There is also good progress by VMRDA in expediting work on seven road alignment works at a cost of Rs175 crore.

"From our side, we are making it ready as per a promise made by our company," an official of GVIAL told Bizz Buzz. During a recent visit to the airport site, State R&B Minister BC Janardhana Reddy said they are trying to commission it by the Prime Minister in July or August. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu will finalise the dates after consulting the Prime Minister's Office. Almost 98 per cent of work on the runway and other critical infrastructure is already completed.

The airport, as part of the first phase, has a 3800-meter runway, 40 check-in-counters, a few aerobridges and 18-self drop counters and 18 DigiYatra pods. It has a capacity to handle six million passengers per annum with plans to expand further as part of demand.

The Bhogapuram greenfield airport, located 45 km from Visakhapatnam recently conducted its first validation flight by Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu. The concession agreement signed with Andhra Pradesh Government stipulates that once it is commissioned, the Visakhapatnam International Airport will be closed for civilian operations. The airport in the city is located at INS Dega Station of the Indian Navy. It has restrictions on schedules of civilian aircraft being a civil enclave managed by Air[port Authority of India (AAI).

Before throwing open to civilian aircraft, the Bhogapuram International Airport needs approvals from Director General Civil Aviation and other statutory authorities for its airside infrastructure, navigational aids, runway systems, and operational readiness, in line with the regulatory requirements laid down by the DGCA.

Expressing satisfaction over the completion of the airport work ahead of schedule, Tours and Travel Agents of Andhra (TTAA) president K Vijay Mohan told this reporter that more international airlines will launch their operations once the Bhogapuram Airport is made operational.