Bhogapuram airport will be ready by June 2026: Naidu

Bhogapuram (Vizianagaram): Just wait for two more years, Bhogapuram will emerge as the best growth engine in the state as the international airport there would become operational by June 2026, said Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.

Addressing the media after reviewing the ongoing works, Naidu said the airport will start with passenger traffic of 4.8 million as it would be the major greenfield airport for Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli, East Godavari district and areas bordering Odisha. It will change the face of the region just as the Shamshabad airport had changed the face of RR district in Telangana.

He called upon Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ramamohan Naidu to visit all the international airports in the country and see that the Bhogapuram airport was constructed with latest technology and best design which should be user-friendly. Naidu said though the Centre had fixed June 2026 as the target for commissioning the airport, he wants that the date of commissioning the airport should be advanced. Urging the Union Civil Aviation Minister to explore the possibility, he asked him to visit Bhogapuram at least once in a month and see that the works were put on fast-track. Naidu said that during his interaction with the local people, they had suggested that the new airport be named as PVG Raju International Airport.

He said he would take this suggestion to the notice of the Centre. He also assured that the state government would ensure that the airport was linked to the National Highway and construct link roads.

The Chief Minister said his government was aware that there was a need to construct flyovers and expand bridges between Visakhapatnam and Bhogapuram airport to provide hassle-free journey for the air passengers.

GMR Business Chairman GBS Raju explained the progress of the works through a power point presentation. He said 97 percent of earth work and 32 percent of runway works have been completed so far.