Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated the Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport at Bhogapuram in Andhra Pradesh’s Vizianagaram district, marking the launch of a key infrastructure project expected to strengthen the state’s air connectivity and support economic growth.
After landing on the airport’s runway, the Prime Minister formally opened the passenger terminal building and toured the facility with Andhra Pradesh Governor S. Abdul Nazeer, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan and Union Civil Aviation Minister K. Ram Mohan Naidu.
Senior leaders of the GMR Group, which developed the airport, and the Civil Aviation Minister briefed Mr Modi on the airport’s features during the visit.
The terminal has been designed to reflect Andhra Pradesh’s rich cultural heritage, with displays celebrating the state’s traditions and art forms. The Prime Minister also viewed a large Etikoppaka artwork installed at the airport’s entrance.
As Mr Modi travelled from the airport to the public meeting venue, he was welcomed by thousands of tribal women performing the traditional Dhimsa dance. According to officials, the performance by 13,500 women set a Guinness World Record. The Prime Minister applauded the dancers, acknowledging the colourful display of tribal culture.
During the visit, Mr Modi is also scheduled to lay the foundation stone, inaugurate and dedicate multiple development projects worth more than 17,900 crore in Bhogapuram before addressing a public gathering.
Built under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model at a cost of more than 5,640 crore, the Greenfield airport has an annual passenger handling capacity of six million.
The project is expected to boost tourism, trade, investment and employment in Andhra Pradesh while improving air connectivity across the region.
Designed to offer a smooth and efficient travel experience, the passenger terminal features modern infrastructure and incorporates advanced systems for airport operations and passenger services. These include biometric passenger processing, automated baggage handling, predictive operations monitoring, Building Information Modelling (BIM), Airside 4.0 technologies and an Airport Predictive Operations Centre (APOC), all aimed at improving efficiency, safety and passenger convenience.