With the inauguration of the Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport at Bhogapuram on August 1 and its scheduled commencement of commercial operations from August 17, flyers from north Andhra Pradesh (Uttarandhra) may soon be able to board flights to various international destinations, including the U.S., Europe and Australia, directly from the new airport.
If things go according to plan, passengers from the region will no longer have to travel to Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru or Mumbai to catch international flights, said Andhra Pradesh Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP) and NRI Empowerment, Kondapalli Srinivas.
In an exclusive interaction with The Hindu, Mr. Srinivas said, “We have about 34 flights operating now, including two international services, one to Abu Dhabi and another to Singapore. There is always scope to increase these numbers. The new airport is not only state-of-the-art but is also equipped to handle large-bodied international aircraft.”
According to the Minister, the Telugu diaspora across the globe is estimated at around 30 lakh, making it one of the largest overseas communities. Of this, around four to five lakh people are believed to hail from Uttarandhra alone. Since the airport has been developed under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, GMR will play a significant role in promoting its growth and expanding connectivity, he added.
Speaking about domestic expansion, Mr. Srinivas said proposals are already in place for two to three additional flights to Hyderabad and Bengaluru, while services to new destinations such as Coimbatore, Pune and Varanasi are also in the pipeline.
“Our immediate target is to achieve an annual footfall of 50 lakh passengers,” he said.
Catalyst for growth
Mr. Srinivas said the Bhogapuram airport would emerge as a major catalyst for the economic growth of north Andhra. He pointed out that Bhogapuram was chosen because of its strategic location, being almost equidistant from the six districts of Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli, Srikakulam, Parvathipuram Manyam, Vizianagaram and even Alluri Sitarama Raju district.
“We needed a bigger and more modern airport to meet the growing demands of the region. Airports are catalysts for growth. They not only facilitate passenger movement but also significantly improve cargo logistics,” he said.
The airport is expected to provide a major boost to the transportation of high-value products, including agricultural produce, processed food, pharmaceuticals and, most importantly, the region’s thriving aquaculture exports.
According to the Minister, several major investments are either under way or have shown interest in the region, thanks in part to the improved logistics that the new airport offers. These include ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel, Google and Reliance data centres, software companies such as Cognizant and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), apart from steel manufacturers from West Bengal and aluminium smelting units.
“Investors today are very particular about connectivity and logistics. The new airport gives the region a significant advantage in attracting large-scale investments,” he said.
Mr. Srinivas also expressed confidence that the airport, coupled with the arrival of new industries, would create substantial employment opportunities and help realise the long-standing vision of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and HRD Minister Nara Lokesh to curb migration from north Andhra by creating jobs locally.
“We are working on skilling the youth of this region according to industry requirements. APSDC and SEEDAP are developing a PPP model to train local youth for employment in upcoming sectors, including the airport’s Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility, hospitality, tourism, medical tourism, steel plants and the software industry,” he said.
MSME growth
The Minister said the government’s focus is on encouraging first-time entrepreneurs by creating a strong support system for MSMEs.
“The challenge is to bring young entrepreneurs into the sector, and we are doing our best to provide the necessary ecosystem. There is tremendous scope for MSMEs because major steel, alumina and pharmaceutical industries are coming up, and all of them will require a network of ancillary units,” he said.
Drawing a parallel with the past, Mr. Srinivas noted that industrial hubs such as Gajuwaka and Auto Nagar in Visakhapatnam expanded significantly after the establishment of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant.
“In the last two years, we have witnessed nearly 80% growth in the MSME sector. This assessment is based on the number of applications received and the revenue-related data available with banks,” Mr. Kondapalli Srinivas said.
Published – August 07, 2026 04:45 pm IST
