Commercial Flight Operations From Visakhapatnam Airport To Shift To Bhogapuram From August 17
However, operations involving the Indian Air Force, armed forces, police, VIP aircraft will continue from Visakhapatnam airport.
Published : July 29, 2026 at 3:53 PM IST
Amaravati: The Union Ministry of Civil Aviation has announced the suspension of scheduled flight operations from Visakhapatnam Airport from August 17, as services are set to commence from the newly constructed Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport in Bhogapuram, Vizianagaram district, starting on the same date.
A notification said that the commercial operations at the Civil Enclave at Visakhapatnam Airport (INS Dega) will be for 30 years, except for airport activity at time of national emergency or by aircraft owned or operated by or for the Indian Air Force or other Armed Forces of India or police or any such other authorities or for transportation of dignitaries by special government owned, leased or hired VIP aircraft
The Centre also announced that the international travel code 'VTZ', currently assigned to Visakhapatnam Airport, will be transferred to Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport, effectively from 00:01 hours on the night of August 17.
The ministry also issued a gazette notification on Tuesday naming the Bhogapuram airport—constructed by the GMR Group under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model—as 'Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport.'
A decision to name the airport after Alluri Sitarama Raju was made during a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu in September 2024. The Centre has now officially approved this decision by issuing a gazette notification.
Alluri Sitarama Raju was a freedom fighter and revolutionary who waged an armed rebellion against the British colonial rule in India. He engaged in guerrilla campaigns against the British forces across the border regions of present-day states of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, and led the Rampa rebellion in 1922. He was executed by a British firing squad in 1924.
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