Vizag’s Bhogapuram International Airport set for May 2026 launch; trial run in Jan

Visakhapatnam: Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu said that the construction of the Bhogapuram International Airport in Visakhapatnam is progressing rapidly.

He said a trial run will be conducted in January 2026.

Bhogapuram airport to become functional by May 2026

Speaking at the MoU signing of the GMR–Mansas Aviation Edu City project at Radisson Blu Resort in Visakhapatnam, held in the presence of Minister Nara Lokesh, the Union Minister said the international airport was originally scheduled to be opened by June 2026 but will now be made operational at least a month earlier by May 2026.

The proposed Aviation Edu City will pave the way for the establishment of several schools and universities and will play a key role in providing training and skill development in the aviation sector.

‘25% of civil aviation workforce should be Telugu’

“The government plans to develop the Bhogapuram region, where the international airport is coming up, into the country’s first integrated education and innovation hub,” he said.

Speaking at the launch, Lokesh said, “Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu had set a bold vision that 25 per cent of the global aviation and civil aviation workforce should be Telugu, with the State government extending full support to realise the goal. We have decided to establish a world-class Aviation EduCity by creating shared infrastructure and bringing together top-ranked universities within a single ecosystem.”

What is the Aviation EduCity?

The GMR–Mansas Aviation EduCity, spread over about 136 acres, is designed as a national capability platform to address the acute global and domestic shortage of aviation professionals and to position India as a leading supplier of aviation talent.

An MoU was signed between GMR Group and the Mansas Trust at Visakhapatnam.

Unlike standalone universities or training academies, the GMR–Mansas Aviation EduCity is being conceptualised as a fully integrated education–innovation–industry cluster, combining:

- International branch campuses (IBCs) and globally reputed universities

- Licensing and certification programmes aligned with DGCA, EASA and global standards

- Advanced research and innovation centres in aerospace design, AI-enabled aviation systems, UAVs, sustainable aviation and safety

- Incubation, prototyping and startup support for aviation and aerospace technologies

- Residential and social infrastructure, creating a self-sustaining campus ecosystem

The government said the model aligns with National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP), NEP 2020, Make in India, and India’s broader aerospace and defence ambitions.

AAD educational city

The government is planning to develop the core EduCity infrastructure within 12 months, with phased onboarding of global academic and industry partners thereafter.

The project is part of the State government’s plan to develop India’s first Aviation, Aerospace and Defence (AAD) educational city, which will emerge as a global model for education and skill development.

The Bhogapuram International Airport is being developed on 2,203 acres, with an additional 500 acres recently handed over for allied facilities.

Key highlights of the first phase include:

- 22 Aerobridges

- Terminal building spanning 81,000 sq. meters

- Two runways, each 3.8 km long

- Annual passenger handling capacity: 6 million (initially), scalable to 40 million in phases

Beach Corridor project to cut time to airport by 45 minutes

To ensure swift travel to the new airport, the government has recently revived the long-pending Beach Corridor project, which will cut travel time from Visakhapatnam city to Bhogapuram to just 45 minutes.

The Detailed Project Report (DPR) for land acquisition and road expansion worth Rs 2,800 crore has already been prepared. The proposed corridor includes a bridge over the Gosthani River at Mulakoddy, connecting Visakhapatnam Port via Bhimili to Bhogapuram. This project, now given a fresh push, is expected to complement the airport and be ready within 10 months. Elevated corridors will also be taken up in parallel.

Development zones in pipeline

The project is not limited to aviation alone. The airport region is planned to evolve into a multi-sector hub with focus areas such as:

1. Aerospace and Industrial Parks

2. Education and Healthcare Hubs

3. Aero City and Component Industries

4. Health, Hospitality and Manufacturing Clusters