Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated the Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport at Bhogapuram in Andhra Pradesh's Vizianagaram district, a nearly Rs 5,000-crore greenfield project expected to boost connectivity and drive economic growth in the state's north coastal region.
Developed by the GMR Group, the airport will begin commercial flight operations from August 17 with an initial annual passenger handling capacity of six million, which is planned to be expanded to 40 million passengers in subsequent phases.
The Bhogapuram facility is the second greenfield airport in the country to become operational this year, after Uttar Pradesh's Jewar airport, which commenced commercial operations on June 15.
The Andhra Pradesh government has projected the airport as a key infrastructure project aimed at accelerating industrial development, employment generation, exports, skill development and research across North Andhra.
Spread over 2,200 acres, the airport has been developed by GMR Visakhapatnam International Airport Ltd (GVIAL) under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model using the Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer (DBFOT) framework.
The broader integrated development spans 2,703.26 acres, comprising the airport across 2,203.32 acres, a 500-acre aviation hub, and an aviation university and EduCity spread over 136.63 acres. The project also includes airside infrastructure, commercial and residential developments, and approach roads.
GMR Group said the airport was completed several months ahead of schedule.
During the inauguration, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Union Civil Aviation Minister K. Ram Mohan Naidu briefed the Prime Minister on the project's key features.
Later in the day, Modi is scheduled to lay the foundation stone for and inaugurate development projects worth nearly Rs 18,000 crore across Andhra Pradesh.
GMR Airports Ltd, which already operates six airports, said Bhogapuram is its third greenfield airport after Hyderabad and Goa.
"We are confident that the airport will emerge as a major gateway for India's eastern corridor, driving investment, employment and regional prosperity for decades to come," GMR Airports Ltd Business Chairman G. B. S. Raju said.
