The civil aviation ministry has issued a notification that scheduled commercial operations at Visakhapatnam Airport will be shut for 30 years and shifted to the greenfield Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport (ASR Airport) in Bhogapuram, over 50 kilometres away, from 17 August. The International Air Transport Association code VTZ for Visakhapatnam will be transferred to ASR Airport on 17 August. Prime Minister Narendra Modi (PM) is scheduled to inaugurate the new airport on 1 August.

The ministry said the closure of the civil enclave at Visakhapatnam applies only to scheduled commercial operations and follows site clearance for the Bhogapuram project granted in January. The restriction will remain for 30 years but non-scheduled commercial flights may continue to operate from the civil enclave. Transfer of regular services will begin when commercial operations start at Bhogapuram on 17 August.

The notification clarified the closure will not apply during national emergencies and will not affect aircraft of the Indian Air Force, other armed forces, police or any authorised agency. Flights carrying dignitaries in specially government owned, leased or hired aircraft were exempted. The ministry said the move is administrative and intended to concentrate scheduled services at the new greenfield facility.

The change follows precedents in which scheduled services shifted to greenfield airports after inauguration, including moves to airports serving Bengaluru and Hyderabad in 2008. Commercial operations began at the Noida International Airport in Jewar in June, and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region received a second airport when Navi Mumbai International Airport opened in December 2025. A second airport in Goa at Mopa began operations in December 2022.

The transfer of the VTZ code and relocation of scheduled flights will reconfigure connectivity for the Visakhapatnam region while leaving certain military and non-scheduled operations at the existing civil enclave. Authorities will oversee the transition to ensure services resume at ASR Airport when scheduled operations start on 17 August. The notification is a formal step in implementing the Bhogapuram airport project and aligning regional aviation infrastructure.