Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport in Bhogapuram, Andhra Pradesh, on Aug. 1, 2024 [1].
The new facility is intended to catalyze economic growth in North Coastal Andhra Pradesh by improving regional connectivity, tourism, trade, and investment [2].
Located in the Vizianagaram district, the airport is a greenfield project with a construction cost of Rs 5,000 crore [3]. The facility is designed to handle six million passengers annually, with the capacity to scale up to 40 million [4]. Commercial operations at the airport are scheduled to begin on Aug. 17, 2024 [5].
The inauguration was part of a larger development push for the state. Along with the airport, the Prime Minister launched several state development projects valued between Rs 17,900 crore and nearly Rs 18,000 crore [6, 7].
These initiatives represent a strategic effort to modernize infrastructure in the region. By integrating the Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport into the national transport network, the government seeks to reduce logistics bottlenecks and attract new industrial investment to the coastal belt.
“The airport is a greenfield project with a construction cost of Rs 5,000 crore.”
The establishment of a high-capacity international airport in the Vizianagaram district signals a shift toward decentralizing economic hubs in Andhra Pradesh. By coupling the airport with nearly Rs 18,000 crore in broader development projects, the Indian government is attempting to create an integrated logistics ecosystem to stimulate trade and industrialization in the North Coastal region.
