Bhogapuram's new Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport takes over from Visakhapatnam

Searches around airports in Andhra Pradesh are rising as the state's newest aviation hub settles into full service. Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport at Bhogapuram, near Visakhapatnam, began commercial operations in the early hours of 17 August 2026, and the older Visakhapatnam airport has since stopped handling scheduled passenger flights. The IATA code VTZ moved across to the new airport at the same time.

The greenfield project was built at a cost of roughly Rs 4,727 crore and was inaugurated on 1 August. It was completed in about 31 months, which reporting describes as ahead of its original schedule and among the quicker greenfield airport builds in the country. Around 31 flights were listed on its first full day of operations.

Carriers including IndiGo and Air India Express now link Bhogapuram to Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru, Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Tirupati, while international services connect to Singapore and Abu Dhabi. Local coverage has also focused on the terminal's design, which draws on Andhra art and craft motifs, and on road travel times from the airport into Visakhapatnam.