VISAKHAPATNAM: The curtains will come down on scheduled commercial flight operations at Visakhapatnam International Airport, the Civil Enclave of INS Dega, on August 17, bringing to a close a civilian aviation journey that began more than seven decades ago.
From the same day, commercial air traffic will shift to the newly built ASR International Airport at Bhogapuram in Vizianagaram District.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation has issued two official gazette notifications confirming that the newly named ASR International Airport will be commissioned at 12.01 am on August 17. Consequent upon its commissioning, scheduled commercial flights at the Visakhapatnam Civil Enclave will close for 30 years, in line with the condition stipulated while granting site clearance for the Bhogapuram project on January 27, 2016.
The notification makes it clear that the closure is limited to scheduled commercial services. The Civil Enclave may continue to handle non-scheduled commercial operations, while airbase will continue for military purposes.
Aircraft operated by the Armed Forces, police, government agencies, flights during national emergencies, and government-operated or chartered VIP aircraft have been specifically exempted from the restriction.
In a separate notification, the Ministry officially renamed the Bhogapuram Greenfield Airport as the ASR International Airport, honouring the legendary tribal freedom fighter. Another significant aspect of the transition is the transfer of the IATA airport code ‘VTZ’, which has represented Vizag on global aviation networks for decades. Effective August 17, the code will stand transferred to the Bhogapuram airport, making it the region’s official commercial aviation gateway.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to inaugurate the airport in the presence of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, with preparations underway for the formal commissioning.
The shift marks the end of civilian commercial operations at an airport that has been closely intertwined with Visakhapatnam’s evolution from a modest port town into one of India’s major coastal cities.
Established in 1941 as a military airfield during the Second World War, the airport was opened to civilian flights in 1954, becoming region’s first commercial aviation facility.
Operating from INS Dega, it remained one of the country’s few airports where civilian and defence operations coexisted, reflecting Vizag’s strategic importance as the headquarters of Eastern Naval Command. As the city’s industrial, pharmaceutical and information technology sectors expanded, the airport evolved with it.
The arrival of jet aircraft in the 1970s, infrastructure upgrades through the 1990s and a modern integrated terminal in the late 2000s significantly improved passenger handling capacity.
The airport attained international status in 2010, enabling direct overseas connectivity and strengthening links with destinations in the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
Passenger traffic continued to grow steadily, crossing one million passengers annually reinforcing the airport’s role as a vital transport hub for north Andhra. With modern infrastructure and expanded capacity, the ASR International Airport is set to meet the region’s long-term commercial aviation and cargo needs.
