PM Modi Inaugurates Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport at Bhogapuram on 1 August 2026

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport (ASR International Airport) at Bhogapuram in Vizianagaram district, Andhra Pradesh, on Saturday, 1 August 2026. He is due to land at 10:45 am, walk through the new 78,000 sq m terminal from about 11:00 am and unveil the airport at around 11:30 am, before addressing a public meeting until 12:55 pm. Andhra Pradesh development projects worth over ₹17,900 crore are dedicated the same day. Flying, though, starts a fortnight later: the first scheduled commercial flights are on 17 August 2026.

This page was published on 31 July 2026, the day before the ceremony. The timings and running order below come from the official programme released ahead of the visit; we will update the page with details from the day itself.

What exactly is being inaugurated at Bhogapuram?

Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport is a greenfield airport — built from scratch on open land rather than added to an existing airfield — spread across 2,203 acres at Bhogapuram, roughly 40 to 45 km north-east of Visakhapatnam city. It was developed by GMR Visakhapatnam International Airport Limited (GVIAL), a GMR Group subsidiary, under a public-private partnership on a design-build-finance- operate-transfer (DBFOT) basis, at a project cost of ₹5,640 crore.

Phase 1, the part being inaugurated, is sized for six million passengers a year and includes a 78,000 sq m integrated passenger terminal, a 3,800 m Code 4E runway with a full-length parallel taxiway, and a 5,000 sq m cargo terminal. The runway is among the longest in India and is built to take wide-body aircraft including the Boeing 777, Boeing 787 Dreamliner, Airbus A350 and Airbus A330 — which is the technical reason the airport can credibly chase long-haul international routes rather than just regional hops.

One point of genuine confusion worth clearing up: the airport has two names in circulation. It was built and reported for years as Bhogapuram International Airport, and that is still what most people search for. The Ministry of Civil Aviation renamed it Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport by gazette notification in July 2026, after the tribal freedom fighter of Andhra Pradesh. Both names refer to the same place. Our complete ASR International Airport guide covers every specification in detail.

What is the minute-by-minute schedule for 1 August 2026?

The Prime Minister is on the ground at Bhogapuram for roughly two and a half hours. The official programme:

If you are travelling anywhere along the NH-16 corridor between Visakhapatnam, Bhimli and Vizianagaram on the morning of 1 August, expect traffic restrictions and diversions around Bhogapuram from early in the day. Security arrangements for a prime ministerial visit typically close approach roads well before the scheduled arrival time.

Who is on the dais with the Prime Minister?

The state’s senior leadership is present alongside the Union government. Confirmed for the official party:

• N. Chandrababu Naidu — Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
• Pawan Kalyan — Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
• S. Abdul Nazeer — Governor of Andhra Pradesh
• K. Ram Mohan Naidu — Union Minister for Civil Aviation
• Senior leadership of GMR Visakhapatnam International Airport Limited (GVIAL), the concessionaire that built the airport

The presence of the Union Civil Aviation Minister matters practically, not just ceremonially. Route approvals, international designations and the timing of the code transfer all sit with his ministry, and announcements on connectivity are the thing to listen for during the public meeting.

Why are 13,000 women performing the Dhimsa dance?

Around 13,000 to 13,500 tribal women and students are performing Dhimsa, the traditional group dance of the tribal communities of the Eastern Ghats, as the ceremonial welcome. Dancers move in a linked line or circle to drum and pipe accompaniment; it is the signature folk form of the Araku and Agency belt inland from Bhogapuram.

The choice is pointed. The airport is named after Alluri Sitarama Raju, who led tribal communities of these same hills in armed revolt against British rule in the 1920s. Building the welcome around tribal culture rather than a conventional civil-aviation ribbon-cutting ties the airport’s name to the people it honours. If you want the story behind the name, read who was Alluri Sitarama Raju.

What else worth ₹17,900 crore is being dedicated?

Development projects worth over ₹17,900 croreacross Andhra Pradesh are being dedicated or foundation-stoned on 1 August 2026, with the ₹5,640 crore airport as the single largest and most visible item. Bundling a state’s worth of infrastructure into one prime ministerial visit is standard practice, and the airport is the anchor that the rest of the list hangs from.

We are deliberately not publishing a speculative breakdown of that figure. The itemised list is confirmed from the dais during the public meeting, and we will add it to our Bhogapuram airport news page once the announcements are official. What is already clear is the direction of travel for the district: GMR has an aerotropolis planned around the airport, with proposals that include an aviation university and hospitality development on the roughly 500 acres held back for future expansion. Our analysis of the aerotropolis, jobs and economic impact works through what that could mean for Vizianagaram district.

Why is this the biggest aviation moment in Andhra Pradesh since 2014?

Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport is the first international airport built in Andhra Pradesh after the 2014 state bifurcation. When Telangana was carved out, Hyderabad — and with it the state’s only large international gateway — went to the new state. Andhra Pradesh was left with a set of airports that were adequate for domestic traffic and short international hops, but nothing designed as a long-haul gateway.

North Andhra’s problem was sharper still. Visakhapatnam’s air traffic has been handled by a civil enclave at INS Dega, an Indian Navy air station. A civil enclave works — Visakhapatnam has been running roughly 30 flights a day, or about 60 arrival and departure movements — but it shares runway and airspace with military operations, which puts a hard ceiling on slots, night operations, cargo growth and terminal expansion. There is no way to build a 78,000 sq m terminal and a second phase inside someone else’s air station.

Bhogapuram removes that ceiling in one step. The 3,800 m Code 4E runway, the parallel taxiway, the CAT I instrument landing system and the wide-body apron are all sized for an airport that grows to 12 million, then 18 million, and ultimately more than 40 million passengers a year. For the pharmaceutical clusters at Pusapatirega and Pydibhimavaram, the 5,000 sq m cargo terminal with roughly 25,000 MT of annual capacity is arguably as consequential as the passenger side.

What happens between 1 August and 17 August 2026?

The gap between inauguration and first flight is 16 days, and it is not idle time. An inauguration is a political and ceremonial milestone; starting scheduled commercial operations is a regulatory and operational one. In that fortnight, airlines migrate their schedules to the new station, ground handling and security staff move across, systems are run in, and the airport code changes hands.

The mechanical detail that matters most to travellers: the IATA code VTZ transfers from the Visakhapatnam civil enclave to Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport at 12:01 am on 17 August 2026. From that moment, a booking that says VTZ means Bhogapuram. Scheduled commercial operations at INS Dega stop for 30 years; charter, non-scheduled and military flying continues there. We have written this up in full in our guide to Bhogapuram airport flights and the VTZ code shift, including how to check which airport your existing ticket actually refers to.

What should travellers, locals and investors do now?

Answer first: if you fly out of Visakhapatnam on or after 17 August 2026, check your ticket and your ground transport now — not at the airport. Beyond that, the practical priorities differ by who you are.

• If you hold a ticket for mid-August or later — confirm the departure airport with your airline directly, and re-plan your journey to the airport. Bhogapuram is 40 to 45 km from Visakhapatnam; arriving at the wrong airport is a real and expensive risk in the changeover week.
• If you are picking someone up — read how to reach Bhogapuram airport from Visakhapatnam for the road options, realistic drive times and where taxis actually drop.
• If you need a bed near the airport — Bhogapuram itself is still semi-rural, so most stays are in Bhimli, Rushikonda or Vizianagaram town. Our hotels and stays near Bhogapuram airport guide sets out what is realistically available and how far it is.
• If you are looking at property — land prices along the corridor have already moved 20 to 30 per cent in key pockets. Treat Bhogapuram as a five- to seven-year play, insist on VMRDA-approved layouts and RERA-registered projects, and read our Bhogapuram real estate guide before committing money.
• If you are just planning a trip — the airport puts Araku Valley, Borra Caves, Bhimli beach and the temple circuit at Srikurmam and Arasavalli within easy reach. See tourist places near Bhogapuram.

For the airport itself — terminal layout, facilities, capacity roadmap and operating details — our ASR International Airport hub page is kept current as the airport moves from inauguration to full operation.