VIZIANAGARAM: The first trial flight to the Alluri Sitarama Raju (Bhogapuram) International Airport will touch down at 10.15 a.m. on Sunday. Union Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu will fly directly from New Delhi and land at the airport in Vizianagaram district as part of the trial operations. The exercise will involve evaluation of runway performance, air traffic coordination and ground handling systems.
The Bhogapuram airport features a 3.8-km-long runway capable of handling wide-body aircraft, including Airbus A380 and Boeing 747-8 types. The runway has been designed for both take-offs and landings from either direction. Officials said the airport would be equipped to handle nearly 300 aircraft movements and is being constructed using international bidding processes with a focus on advanced technology and global standards.
The airport is being built by the GMR Group, with L&T executing civil works. The concessionaire will operate and maintain the airport for 40 years. According to official details, over 91.7 percent of construction work had been completed by December 2025. Following the trial, the Civil Aviation Ministry is expected to hold discussions with airline operators for initiating regular flight services, with commercial operations tentatively planned from June 2026.
Named after freedom fighter Alluri Sitarama Raju, the airport is expected to improve air connectivity for north Andhra Pradesh. In its initial phase, the terminal has been designed to handle six million passengers annually, with the capacity scalable up to 18 million passengers in future phases. The terminal will feature paperless entry through facial recognition, more than 10 modern aerobridges, and the ability to handle up to 2,500 passengers per hour. Sustainability measures such as solar power generation and rainwater recycling are being incorporated, with the project targeting LEED Gold certification.
In addition, a first-of-its-kind Aviation Education City is being set up on 136 acres near the airport to provide training and skill development for aviation-related jobs, ranging from technicians to pilots. Officials said the initiative would create significant employment opportunities for youth in the region.
To ensure seamless access, the State government is developing multiple connectivity corridors to the airport. These include six-lane approach roads from National Highway-16, flyovers allowing signal-free entry, and a coastal beach corridor connecting Visakhapatnam, Bheemunipatnam and Bhogapuram. An airport express corridor is also being planned to reduce travel time from Visakhapatnam to around 45-55 minutes. Vizianagaram town is about 25 km away, with four-lane road connectivity under development, while Srikakulam and Parvathipuram Manyam districts will be connected via NH-16 and NH-26.
In terms of air connectivity, priority routes are expected to include Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai, with increased frequencies. International routes to Gulf destinations such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi, as well as Southeast Asian destinations including Singapore and Malaysia, are also being planned. The long runway would allow for direct or connecting flights to Europe and the US.