Airports were once named after a single family: Modi at Bhogapuram
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday (August 1, 2026) dedicated the Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport at Bhogapuram in Andhra Pradesh to the nation, and
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday (August 1, 2026) dedicated the Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport at Bhogapuram in Andhra Pradesh to the nation, and inaugurated development projects worth over ₹17,900 crore from Bhogapuram in Vizianagaram district. The airport, built at a cost of over ₹5,640 crore by GMR Visakhapatnam International Airport Limited under a public-private partnership, is designed to handle six million passengers a year and is the first greenfield airport in the State. Governor S. Abdul Nazeer, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan, Union Ministers K. Rammohan Naidu and Bhupathiraju Srinivas Varma and State Cabinet Ministers were present. Uttarandhra now has wings to fly. Congratulations to my beloved people of Andhra Pradesh on this historic milestone. The Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport has been dedicated to the nation by the august hands of Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji today, in the… pic.twitter.com/2RlM8qF9sI — N Chandrababu Naidu (@ncbn) August 1, 2026 The Prime Minister was welcomed with a performance of the traditional Dhimsa dance by over 13,000 tribal girls.
“The pride of our tribal culture displayed was truly a magnificent and unforgettable sight,” Mr. Modi said. He said the projects launched or dedicated on the day, covering airport infrastructure, road connectivity and energy security, showed the State’s pace of progress. “These development works are a true symbol of the incredible speed at which Andhra Pradesh is advancing,” he said. Modi described the airport as a runway for regional growth. “Serving as the runway for the growth of Andhra and North Andhra, this airport is the ultimate launchpad for a better future for Andhra’s youth,” he said. On civil aviation over the past 12 years, he said there were 74 operational airports before 2014 and 166 now. “Today, the common people of small cities are comfortably travelling by flights, marking a departure from when air travel was restricted to Metro cities,” he said. Referring to the recently inaugurated spoke airport in Kashi, he said the model had been expanded to Amritsar, linking the city to over 25 international destinations.
“From here, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the people of Punjab for this achievement,” he said. Commending the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister, Mr. Modi said: “Andhra Pradesh has always possessed the immense capability to become the ultimate growth engine for a Viksit Bharat.” On the highway and expressway network coming up across the State, he said: “These expressway projects are fundamentally imparting unprecedented speed to this entire geographic region.” He said railway projects worth about ₹1 lakh crore were under way, along with full electrification of the network and the modernisation of over 70 stations. “We are working to ensure this entire region connects effortlessly with the country’s largest industrial centres,” he said. Modi said the PM Gati Shakti Master Plan was unifying rail, port and air infrastructure, which would improve logistics, help farmers and ease doing business. He said the youth of the State had made a mark in the software and technology sectors, and that the government was committed to using this talent for regional development.
The BriefWire