Commercial flight operations have officially commenced at the new Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport in Bhogapuram, signaling the closure of the Visakhapatnam Airport for civilian air traffic. This significant shift means all scheduled flights, identified by the 'VTZ' code, will now operate from the Bhogapuram facility, located approximately 44 km from the city. The older Visakhapatnam Airport, after 64 years of service, will continue its vital role as a military air base for the Indian Navy's INS Dega, while the new Bhogapuram airport, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, aims to enhance regional connectivity and economic growth. To support this transition, Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) has introduced airport bus services connecting Visakhapatnam to the new airport, facilitating travel for passengers. The Bhogapuram airport's launch is anticipated to create new avenues for investment, tourism, employment, and business activities within North Andhra.

Commercial flight operations have officially commenced at the new Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport in Bhogapuram, signaling the closure of the Visakhapatnam Airport for civilian air traffic. This significant shift means all scheduled flights, identified by the 'VTZ' code, will now operate from the Bhogapuram facility, located approximately 44 km from the city. The older Visakhapatnam Airport, after 64 years of service, will continue its vital role as a military air base for the Indian Navy's INS Dega, while the new Bhogapuram airport, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, aims to enhance regional connectivity and economic growth. To support this transition, Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) has introduced airport bus services connecting Visakhapatnam to the new airport, facilitating travel for passengers. The Bhogapuram airport's launch is anticipated to create new avenues for investment, tourism, employment, and business activities within North Andhra.

Commercial flight operations have officially commenced at the new Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport in Bhogapuram, signaling the closure of the Visakhapatnam Airport for civilian air traffic. This significant shift means all scheduled flights, identified by the 'VTZ' code, will now operate from the Bhogapuram facility, located approximately 44 km from the city. The older Visakhapatnam Airport, after 64 years of service, will continue its vital role as a military air base for the Indian Navy's INS Dega, while the new Bhogapuram airport, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, aims to enhance regional connectivity and economic growth. To support this transition, Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) has introduced airport bus services connecting Visakhapatnam to the new airport, facilitating travel for passengers. The Bhogapuram airport's launch is anticipated to create new avenues for investment, tourism, employment, and business activities within North Andhra.

Commercial flight operations have commenced at Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport at Bhogapuram on Monday. The Visakhapatnam Airport, which used to handle all commercial flights in North Andhra, has shut down its operations.

The last scheduled commercial service from the 64-year-old airport was the IndiGo flight 6E 2018 to Delhi, which departed around 10.45am on Sunday. Airlines are shifting their scheduled services from the existing airport to the new airport, which is situated approximately 44 km away.

From August 17, all scheduled Visakhapatnam flights will operate from Bhogapuram, according to the Civil Aviation Ministry. While ‘VTZ’ will be the code on the plane ticket, the flight will be scheduled to and from the new airport in Bhogapuram.

Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) has introduced airport buses that operate from 4am to 10am, which can be used to travel from Visakhapatnam to the new airport. Ticket costs range from ₹100 to ₹400.

However, as the Visakhapatnam airport shares facilities with the Indian Navy’s INS Dega, it will not shut down entirely. While commercial flights cease to operate, it will continue to function as a key military air base.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Bhogapuram airport on August 1.

Marking the airport’s first arrival, Indigo’s flight 6E6408 from Hyderabad landed at 6.45am, closely followed by Air India Express flight IX2064 from Bengaluru at 7.30am. The airport is set to handle 31 flights on the first day, connecting cities such as Hyderabad, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Tirupati.

Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu flagged off the commercial services at the airport and handed over boarding passes to passengers. The minister added that the passengers who arrived at the airport praised its infrastructure, architecture and facilities.

The minister also thanked the farmers who gave up their land for the project and GMR authorities for their role in developing the airport, explaining that their commitment helped develop North Andhra.

Naidu said that the airport is a new era for the region, creating opportunities for investment, tourism, employment and business activities.

However, agency reports also indicate that workers from the old airport are raising concerns over their jobs. Housekeeping workers flagged issues about finding new jobs and alleged that they have not received their salaries for the last 15 days. They added that neither the management nor the authorities have responded to their pleas.