ALLURI SITHARAMARAJU AIRPORT OPENING ON AUGUST 1 ST 2026 .

Event Details

Date: August 1, 2026

Airport: Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport, Bhogapuram - Vizianagaram district

Who: PM Narendra Modi will inaugurate the terminal building at 10:58 AM

Schedule:

Arrives from Delhi at 10:45 AM

Inaugurates terminal, inspects facility

Public meeting 11:30 AM - 12:55 PM with 13,500+ tribal women & students

Departs for Delhi at 1:10 PM 

About the Airport

Name: Renamed to Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport

Cost: Built at ~Rs 4,727 crore

Size: 2,203 acres with 3,800-metre Code-E runway for wide-body aircraft

Capacity: Phase 1 - 60 lakh passengers/year, scalable to 4 crore

Speed: Completed in 31 months, 5 months ahead of schedule

Status: DGCA licence, safety, fire & environmental clearances done . 

What changes for Vizag?

Flight shift: Commercial operations at existing Visakhapatnam Airport (INS Dega) will cease from Aug 17, 00:01 hrs

IATA Code "VTZ" will transfer to Bhogapuram

Immigration Checkpost status approved - will handle international flights . 

Grand Plans for Inauguration

CM Chandrababu Naidu directed:

Cultural showcase: Dhimsa, Kuchipudi, tribal dances

Outreach: Quiz, elocution, flash mobs, drone shows, 3K/5K runs

Branding: Araku Coffee promotion

Projects: PM will also lay foundation stones for projects worth Rs 18,000 crore

Name & Code Change

New Name: Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport - renamed from Bhogapuram International Airport

IATA Code: VTZ will shift from existing Vizag Airport to Bhogapuram from Aug 17, 00:01 hrs

Existing Vizag Airport: Civil enclave at INS Dega will close for commercial ops from Aug 17. Only IAF, govt VIP, and emergency flights allowed for next 30 years. 

* Connectivity & Impact

Why "Jewel of North Andhra"

Serves Vizag, Vizianagaram, Srikakulam and South Odisha districts

Expected boost to: Tourism - Araku, Lambasingi, beaches | Trade & Logistics | Jobs in aviation, hospitality

CM Naidu’s vision: Make it a hub like Shamshabad for Hyderabad

Road links being pushed:

6-lane highway from Vizag to Bhogapuram. 

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