Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport
Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport, also known as Bhogapuram Airport, is an under construction greenfield airport at Bhogapuram in Vizianagaram district, Andhra Pradesh, India. The airport is intended to serve the North Andhra region and is located off the National Highway 16, about from Visakhapatnam. It is being developed by GMR Visakhapatnam International Airport Limited, a subsidiary of GMR Group. In September 2024, the upcoming airport was named after Indian revolutionary and freedom fighter Alluri Sitarama Raju. The first phase of the project is being developed at a cost of, and is expected to be completed in 2026.
History
Background
The North Andhra region is served by the Visakhapatnam Airport, which operates as a civil enclave at INS Dega, a naval air station of the Indian Navy. It is designated as a customs airport, and is permitted to operate only limited international flights. The Indian navy had stated that it is unable to allocate more slots for commercial flights at the airport due to its increased utilisation for military activities. Initial proposal for constructing a Greenfield airport at Visakhapatnam was mooted as early as 1997, with various sites such as Sabbavaram, Achyutapuram and Koruprolu being validated for the same.Planning and development
In June 2015, the Airports Authority of India gave its technical approval for the site at Bhogapuram. The site is located off the National Highway 16, about from Visakhapatnam. By March 2016, the state government had acquired of land for the project, and further acquisition of land was delayed due to agitation from locals. The project was approved by the state government in September 2016, and the airport was planned to be developed under a public–private partnership basis. The airport got environmental clearance in August 2017, and the bids for the development of the airport were submitted in the same month. The foundation stone for the airport was laid by the then chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on 14 February 2019. In March 2020, the state government allocated for the development of the airport, while keeping aside of land for future development.The contract for the development and operations of the airport was awarded to GMR Visakhapatnam International Airport Limited, a Special Purpose Entity owned by the GMR Group, which was set up in June 2020. In 2022, the state government signed an agreement with the navy to move the civilian operations from the Visakhapatnam airport to the planned new airport in phases over the next 30 years., most of the land acquisition had been completed, with only pending to be acquired. The airport was planned to be developed in three phases, with the first phase projected to cost. Upon the completion of the first phase, the airport is expected to be able to handle 6.3 million passengers annually, which is expected to increase to 12 and 18 million after the completion of the second and third phases respectively.