Visakhapatnam International Airport will be shifted to Bhogapuram, civil flights will be closed from July 8… Know the reason for the decision

The old airport of Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh will be closed for flights to the general public from July 8. Now all commercial flights (passenger aircraft) will operate from the new Alluri Sitaram Raju International Airport built in Bhogapuram, 50 kilometers away. The old Visakhapatnam airport will now be used only by the Indian Navy. A senior official of the Visakhapatnam district administration said, “The existing airport at Visakhapatnam, which is under the control of the Indian Navy, will no longer handle public flights. In its place, the new Bhogapuram airport will become the only commercial aviation gateway to the region.”

It has been built under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) GMR model. Prime Minister Narendra Modi can inaugurate this airport built by Visakhapatnam International Airport Limited (GVIAL) in the first week of July. Commercial work will start here from July 8. Named after freedom fighter Alluri Sitaram Raju, the airport has been designed to handle 60 lakh passengers annually in the first phase with scope to expand it further in the future.

Check new updates for travel from 8

According to the official, “The trial and validation flights were successfully completed on January 4 and the airport authority has started testing the facilities for passengers – such as check-in counters, baggage handling arrangements and security systems – before the commencement of operations.” Many airlines have already informed passengers and travel agents about this change. Singapore’s Scoot Airlines has issued an alert saying that from July 8, all flights to and from Visakhapatnam will operate from Alluri Sitaram Raju International Airport instead of the existing Visakhapatnam International Airport.

The Tours and Travel Agents Association (TTAA) of Andhra Pradesh has advised passengers holding tickets for travel on or after July 8 to check the information about their departure and arrival airports while planning their journey. With the shift of airlines, check-in will initially operate from Terminal 1 of the new airport.