Now Reading: Bhogapuram airport to show as ‘Visakhapatnam’ from November 21
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Bhogapuram airport to show as ‘Visakhapatnam’ from November 21
The Story in Brief
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) will update its global reservation systems from November 21 to display the greenfield airport at Bhogapuram as ‘Visakhapatnam’, ending confusion among travellers. The airport, officially named Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport, is located about 45 km from Visakhapatnam in Vizianagaram district and serves as the main commercial gateway for the Visakhapatnam metropolitan region.
Under the revised IATA parameter, the airport will keep its three-letter code VTZ while standardising the city profile to Visakhapatnam across all Global Distribution Systems and airline portals. O. Naresh Kumar, Vice-President of the Air Travellers Association of India, confirmed the change and said it would eliminate ambiguity for both international and domestic travellers. Aviation analysts noted similar naming conventions are used for Hyderabad’s Shamshabad airport and Bengaluru’s Devanahalli facility.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The IATA update resolves a practical problem for passengers booking flights to Visakhapatnam, who were landing at Bhogapuram without realising it was the same city’s airport. The change aligns the ticketing display with how travellers search for destinations, following a global convention. What remains open is whether local signage and ground transport will be updated in tandem to avoid confusion after arrival.
No further regulatory steps have been announced.
Source: thehindu.com
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Methodology and corrections.
