PM Modi in Andhra LIVE: ASR International Airport at Bhogapuram to be inaugurated

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the much-awaited Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport at Bhogapuram on Saturday, August 1, 2026. | Photo Credit: ANI Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport at Bhogapuram in Vizianagaram district on Saturday (August 1, 2026), giving Andhra Pradesh its first greenfield international airport since the 2014 bifurcation.Built at a cost of over ₹5,640 crore by GMR Visakhapatnam International Airport Limited under a public-private partnership, the airport is designed to handle six million passengers a year in its first phase. Mr. Modi is scheduled to arrive at 10.45 a.m., inaugurate the terminal at 10.58 a.m., inspect the facilities and then address a public meeting. Governor S. Abdul Nazeer and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu are to receive him.He will also lay foundation stones for projects worth more than ₹17,900 crore across the State, among them a semiconductor plant at Visakhapatnam, transmission works for renewable energy zones in Kurnool and Anantapur, and four national highway projects. Scheduled commercial flights at Bhogapuram begin on August 17, when civil operations cease at the Visakhapatnam airport.The visit is also Mr. Modi’s first public programme since the protests at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.Follow here for live updates,August 01, 2026 10:43 A fish from the air, a rangoli underfoot: inside the new terminalHudhud peeled the roof off the old airport in 2014. The designers of this one had to work out how to hold unbroken glazing in a gale.Twenty-one metres of glass on a cyclone coast: inside the Bhogapuram terminalBhogapuram airport terminal design: how Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport is built for 275 kmph cyclone winds, with muggulu floors and a stingray roof.August 01, 2026 10:31 Getting to Bhogapuram: ₹300 by e-bus, up to ₹1,500 by cabA seat on the electric bus to Visakhapatnam’s new airport at Bhogapuram is expected to cost around ₹300. The same journey by cab is likely to cost between ₹700 and ₹1,500.The fare structure is taking shape ahead of the inauguration of the Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport at Bhogapuram, on Saturday (August 1, 2026). Commercial flight operations are scheduled to begin on August 17.Bhogapuram airport commute: ₹300 by RTC e-bus, ₹800 to ₹1,500 by cab from VisakhapatnamDiscover Bhogapuram airport commute options: ₹300 for e-bus or ₹700-₹1,500 for cabs from Visakhapatnam.August 01, 2026 10:25 Buses queue on approach road as crowds head to BhogapuramSchool buses and APSRTC buses filled the route to the venue on Saturday morning. Police were deployed along a stretch that is still being laid. The district administration expects more than two lakh people.August 01, 2026 10:13 Civil Aviation Minister calls airport a 'dream come true'Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, posting on X ahead of the inauguration, described the ASR Bhogapuram airport as a dream come true for the people of Andhra Pradesh, and said watching the project take shape over the past 24 months had been inspiring. He said the airport stood as a symbol of aspiration and perseverance, and would open new horizons for north Andhra and the State. Published - August 01, 2026 10:05 am IST