- IndiGo will shift all flight operations to the new Bhogapuram airport starting August seventeenth, twenty twenty-six.
- The new facility is forty-eight kilometers away from the city center, requiring seventy to one hundred minutes of travel.
- Commercial services at the INS Dega naval enclave will cease for thirty years following the transition.
IndiGo will move every scheduled Visakhapatnam service from the INS Dega civil enclave to Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport in Bhogapuram on August 17, 2026. Passengers will need to allow 70 to 100 minutes for the journey from the city center, depending on traffic.
The airport sits about 48 km from central Visakhapatnam. Existing flight times will remain unchanged, so the additional ground travel falls entirely on passengers.
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The transfer takes effect at 00:01 hours. The airport will also take over the VTZ code that currently identifies Visakhapatnam’s civil airport.
The airline has asked travelers to “plan their commute considering this additional travel duration.” The move covers all of its scheduled commercial operations serving the city.
IndiGo is scheduled to operate 31 round-trip flights on the first day. The old terminal will no longer handle normal commercial services.
The new terminal takes over VTZ operations at midnight
Commercial flights will leave the naval-base enclave at INS Dega for the new facility in Bhogapuram. The civil enclave’s commercial operations are expected to stop for 30 years after the transfer.
Military, emergency and special government VIP flights will remain exceptions under a Ministry of Civil Aviation notification. The change addresses expansion and night-landing limits linked to the existing airport’s location inside a naval base.
GMR Visakhapatnam International Airport Limited developed and operates the new facility through a Public-Private Partnership model. The project cost approximately ₹4,727 crore.
Construction finished in 31 months, nearly five months ahead of the original schedule. GMR Deputy Managing Director IP Rao separately said the airport was completed six months ahead of schedule.
The terminal will begin with capacity for 6 million passengers per annum. Planned expansion could eventually raise that capacity to 40 MPPA.
| Item | New arrangement |
|---|---|
| Operating airport | Bhogapuram facility in Andhra Pradesh |
| IATA code | VTZ, transferred on August 17 |
| Distance from city center | About 48 km |
| Estimated road journey | 70 to 100 minutes |
| First-day airline activity | 31 round-trip flights |
| Initial annual capacity | 6 million passengers |
| Planned expansion | Up to 40 MPPA |
The facility was originally known as Bhogapuram Greenfield Airport. Authorities renamed it in September 2024 to honor Indian revolutionary freedom fighter Alluri Sitarama Raju.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the airport on August 1, 2026. Officials later conducted final operational reviews, including special flights carrying senior officials on August 12, 2026.
An Air India A320 completed the first validation landing earlier this year. That flight formed part of the pre-operational checks before commercial services began.
Bus services will start before commercial flights
The Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation will begin “Aero Express” electric bus services on August 15, 2026. The buses will connect various points in Visakhapatnam with the new airport.
GMR is also establishing waiting lounges at major city junctions, including NAD Junction and Maddilapalem. Passengers will be able to wait there for shuttle buses to the terminal.
The road journey will vary with traffic. Travelers with early departures will need to build the airport transfer into their plans, since the airline is not moving scheduled departure times.
“From August 17, travellers will utilise the integrated terminal, which will officially operate under the IATA code VTZ.”
GMR issued that statement on August 14, 2026. The integrated terminal will handle the passenger operations that previously used the civil enclave.
The airport’s opening is intended to remove the physical limits imposed by the old site. Officials also expect it to support tourism, industrial investment and logistics across the North Andhra region.
The airport’s backers are pitching an eastern gateway
GMR Group Chairman G. Mallikarjuna Rao and Business Chairman GBS Raju are among the project’s senior leaders. The company describes the facility as a potential “Gateway of the East.”
IP Rao said the terminal includes “AI-driven predictive operational control systems alongside smart washrooms.” The airport’s planned expansion is designed to accommodate rising passenger demand over time.
Andhra Pradesh Governor Justice Nazeer, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan are among the state officials associated with the transition. Rammohan Naidu, Union Minister of Civil Aviation, is also involved at the central-government level.
The new location changes more than the terminal name. It shifts every ordinary commercial journey farther from the city while placing future growth at a purpose-built site.
Passengers should check their booking details and leave extra road time before traveling. Their flight schedule may look familiar, but the airport address will not.
