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"The Bhogapuram Airport will give wings to the development aspirations of north Andhra," the Chief Minister posted.

The Prime Minister is scheduled to arrive at 10.45 a.m. and will be received by Governor Justice S. Abdul Nazeer, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan and Union and State ministers. He will inaugurate the passenger terminal, go around the airport, and later travel in an open-top vehicle to the public meeting venue, where he will address a public gathering.

A grand cultural welcome has been planned with 13,500 tribal women performing the traditional 'Dhimsa' dance, while 200 students will present a Kuchipudi performance inside the airport terminal. The state government is also organising a drone show at the Visakhapatnam Beach Road themed "Giving Wings to North Andhra's Dreams."

The newly built airport has been extensively decorated to showcase Andhra Pradesh's rich cultural heritage. Visitors will be greeted by large-scale Etikoppaka artwork at the entrance, while the interiors feature leather puppetry, the Bobbili Veena, Banganapalli mango motifs, and several other displays reflecting the state's history, traditions, and artistic legacy.

Constructed in just 31 months—nearly five months ahead of schedule- the greenfield airport is among the fastest-completed international airports in the country. Developed by GMR Visakhapatnam International Airport Limited (GVIAL) under the PPP model at a cost of Rs 4,727 crore, the airport spans 2,703 acres, including land earmarked for an aviation hub and aviation education city. The airport features a 3,800-metre runway capable of handling wide-body aircraft such as the Boeing 777, Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Airbus A330, along with modern passenger processing systems, smart surveillance, self-baggage check-in facilities and advanced navigation infrastructure. It has an initial capacity to handle 6 million passengers annually, with expansion plans to increase capacity to 40 million passengers in future phases.

A dedicated cargo terminal with an annual handling capacity of 25,000 metric tonnes and cold-chain infrastructure is expected to strengthen exports of pharmaceuticals, marine products, and other high-value goods. The airport is also designed with sustainability features, including a 5-MW solar power plant, rainwater harvesting, water recycling systems and LEED Platinum-compliant infrastructure.

The government expects the airport to emerge as a catalyst for investments in aviation, aerospace, defence, logistics, manufacturing, tourism and exports, while supporting the development of the Visakhapatnam-Bhogapuram growth corridor as a major economic hub on India's east coast.

Meanwhile, Air India has announced its initial flight schedule from the Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport, paving the way for commercial operations soon after the inauguration.