Andhra Pradesh’s Bhogapuram airport to start operations on Aug 17

Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport at Bhogapuram in Andhra Pradesh will begin commercial operations from August 17, 2026. All scheduled domestic and international flights will shift to the new airport from that date, with the IATA code VTZ transferring from the existing Visakhapatnam airport at 12.01 am on August 17.

The existing Visakhapatnam airport, which started as a World War II airstrip in 1941 and opened for civil aviation in 1962, will continue to be used for defence and police purposes, VIP movements and unscheduled special flights, officials said. The new airport is located about 50 km from Visakhapatnam city.

Visakhapatnam airport resumed full-fledged civilian commercial operations in 1981, and a new passenger terminal was inaugurated in 2009. The Bhogapuram airport will now take over all scheduled commercial passenger services.