PM Modi inaugurates Rs 5,000 crore Bhogapuram airport in Andhra Pradesh

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, 1 August inaugurated the nearly Rs 5,000 crore Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport at Bhogapuram in Andhra Pradesh's Vizianagaram district.

Developed by the GMR Group, the airport is being positioned by the Andhra Pradesh government as a key infrastructure project aimed at driving industrial growth, creating jobs, boosting exports and promoting skill development and research in the North Andhra region.

The airport is designed to handle six million passengers annually in its first phase, with a master plan to eventually expand its capacity to 40 million passengers a year.

Commercial operations are scheduled to begin on August 17.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Union Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu briefed Modi on the airport's key features during the inauguration.

Later in the day, Modi is scheduled to lay the foundation stones for and inaugurate projects worth nearly Rs 18,000 crore in the state.