Commercial ops to shift to Bhogapuram from Visakhapatnam Airport on August 17

The civil aviation ministry said the civil enclave at Visakhapatnam Airport will remain closed for scheduled commercial operations for 30 years

Scheduled commercial operations at Visakhapatnam Airport will be shut for 30 years and shift to the greenfield Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport in Andhra Pradesh’s Bhogapuram, over 50 kilometres away, on August 17, with the transfer of its code (VTZ). Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the new airport on August 1.

Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport in Andhra Pradesh’s Bhogapuram. (PTI)

Regular commercial flight operations previously shifted to greenfield airports in Bangalore (now Bengaluru) and Hyderabad after their inauguration in 2008. In June, commercial operations commenced at the Noida International Airport in Uttar Pradesh’s Jewar, strengthening the aviation network in the National Capital Region.

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region got its second airport with the opening of the Navi Mumbai International Airport in December 2025. A second airport was inaugurated in Goa at Mopa in December 2022.

The civil aviation ministry on Tuesday issued a notification, saying the civil enclave at Visakhapatnam Airport will remain closed for scheduled commercial operations for 30 years from 12:01am on August 17, when operations commence at the Bhogapuram airport. It added that the decision has been taken in pursuance of the decision granting site clearance for the new airport project in January.

The notification said the closure of the civil enclave for scheduled commercial operations will not apply during national emergencies or to aircraft of the Indian Air Force, other armed forces, police or any other authorised agency. It exempted flights transporting dignitaries in specially government-owned, leased or hired aircraft.

The notification said non-scheduled commercial operations may continue to operate from the civil enclave at Visakhapatnam Airport.