Commercial flight operations began at Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport in Bhogapuram on Monday, marking a new chapter for North Andhra Pradesh. The first service, IndiGo 6E 6408 from Hyderabad, arrived at six forty five am and received a ceremonial water cannon salute. Air India Express, Air India, Scoot and India One also recorded inaugural arrivals and the airport logged 52 planned air traffic movements on its opening day. Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, District Collector S Ramsundar Reddy and GVIAL chief executive officer Kanwarbir Singh Kalra ceremonially handed boarding passes to passengers on the inaugural IndiGo and Air India Express services and presented mementoes. The gesture formed part of a formal inauguration that emphasised passenger experience and regional engagement. Kalra said the airport would provide safe, seamless and world-class travel facilities and that GVIAL would pursue expanded connectivity for passengers and cargo. Deputy Chief Minister K Pawan Kalyan said the facility, named after Manyam Veerudu Alluri Sitarama Raju, represented long standing aspirations and would attract investment and create employment opportunities for youth. The Union Minister said the terminal design reflected the region's rich history and cultural heritage and commended the GMR Group for delivering world-class infrastructure. He acknowledged public sentiment over the transfer of commercial flights from the existing Visakhapatnam airport and said strategic plans were under way for future utilisation of the older facility. Developed by GMR Visakhapatnam International Airport Limited under a public private partnership model, the airport has an initial annual capacity of six million (mn) passengers and a 77,342-sq m integrated terminal planned for expansion to handle more than 40 mn passengers annually. The facility includes a 3,800-metre Code 4E runway capable of handling wide-body aircraft, offering scope for greater domestic and international connectivity and expanded air cargo operations. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the airport on August one and commercial operations formally commenced on August 17, positioning Bhogapuram as an aviation and logistics hub on India's eastern coast.