Demand Grows to Run Both Bhogapuram, Vizag Airports

VISAKHAPATNAM: With road and metro rail connectivity to Bhogapuram years away, stakeholders in north Andhra Pradesh have renewed their call for continued operation of the civil airport at INS Dega even after the commissioning of the greenfield Bhogapuram International Airport (BIA). BIA is expected to begin commercial operations from June.

Officials said nearly 80 per cent of airport infrastructure, including the terminal building and internal approach roads, has been completed at Bhogapuram. However, poor external connectivity is a major concern.

Making a strong case for parallel operations, Andhra Pradesh Air Travellers Association president and IT entrepreneur Naresh Kumar felt the proposed six-lane beach corridor between Visakhapatnam and Bhogapuram would take at least three more years to complete.

Similarly, the Metro Rail link from Bhogapuram to the steel plant and the proposed 12 flyovers between Madhurawada and the steel plant are also expected to take around three years.

“With nearly 5,000 vehicles being added to the city every month, traffic congestion in Visakhapatnam has worsened during peak hours with the existing road infrastructure,” Kumar said.

He noted that the economy had picked up with large investments brought in by the present government. While industries and vehicle numbers were increasing, infrastructure expansion “has not kept pace.”

Naresh Kumar said major industrial clusters such as Atchutapuram SEZ, Pharma City and the Steel Plant, together accounting for nearly one lakh frequent flyers, are located far from Bhogapuram, making the continuation of the city airport a necessity.

Supporting the call, CREDAI Visakhapatnam unit president Ashok Kumar said operating both airports in parallel would ensure balanced regional development. Drawing a comparison with Goa, he noted that the Dabolim airport continues to handle substantial traffic even after the opening of the Manohar international airport, aiding tourism and trade through traffic distribution.

Notably, the Airports Authority of India had stated in 2018 that it did not favour the closure of the Visakhapatnam airport, citing the scale of investment that was already made.

With Andhra Pradesh targeting a $125–135 billion economy by 2032–35, stakeholders believe retaining both airports has become a strategic requirement for sustained growth in north Andhra Pradesh.

The Visakhapatnam international airport recorded strong performance in 2025, handling over 27.5 lakh passengers, nearly 19,000 flights and close to 4,900 metric tonnes of domestic cargo, while maintaining an 81.5 per cent on-time performance and expanding international connectivity.