When reaching new airport feels like navigating a maze

Visakhapatnam: Thegood news first: The Bhogapuram International Airport (officially Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport) is scheduled for its grand inauguration on June 26, 2026. The airport based out of Visakhapatnam, which successfully completed a commercial validation flight on January 4, 2026, is in its final construction stages.

Alas! What is concerning for those who would be travelling by road to the new airport from Visakhapatnam is that they can’t help navigating a maze, not far removed from 'padmavyuham', considering the plethora of congested and constricted junctions in the city en route. Although the NDA government is pulling out all stops to commence operations of the airport at a record speed, air passengers in Visakhapatnam have begun to feel the heat – and it is just onset of summer.

Apart from checking in at the airport at least an hour prior to the departure time of the flight, air travellers need to spend extra hours to reach the airport from Vizag city. Of course, the GMR Visakhapatnam International Airport Limited successfully carried out the validation flight at the greenfield Bhogapuram International Airport on January 4 in the presence of Union Aviation Minister K. Ram Mohan Naidu. Following strict timelines, the Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region Development Authority is focusing on facilitating connecting roads to the airport at a brisk pace.

Despite the earnest efforts of the authorities concerned to speed up works relating to the connecting roads from various parts of Visakhapatnam to Bhogapuram, exasperating traffic woes, however, appear to be inevitable for passengers heading to the new airport from Visakhapatnam city via the national highway as relief in saving time appears to be far from sight for them.

For instance, if passengers have to reach the new airport from RTC Complex, Visakhapatnam, they have to spend not less than two hours as they need to cross all traffic bottlenecks. In order to travel the 50-km-long stretch to the Bhogapuram Airport from the city, one has to go through several traffic signals. Crossing each signal would take two to 10 minutes based on the traffic flow. During peak hours, the situation worsens. Well before reaching the city outskirts, passengers travelling from Vizag have to cross busy signal points at Rama Talkies junction, Maddilapalem, Isukathota, Medicover Hospital centre, Hanumanthawaka, Dairy Farm junction, Visakha Valley School junction, Yendada, PM Palem, Car Shed, Madhurawada, Kommadi Marikavalasa and Anandapuram.

During peak hours, it would take more than 10 minutes for the passengers to make their way through each of the busiest junctions like Maddilapalem, Haunumanthawaka, Medicover junction, Dairy Farm and Yendada, etc.

It would take more than an hour to cross the 18-km stretch of Visakhapatnam city during peak hours. Passengers have to pass through a single narrow route along the five-km stretch before the greenfield Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport at Bhogapuram.

Frequent travellers to Vijayawada opine that commuting in a Vande Bharat Express (VBE) would be hassle-free than going to Bhogapuram Airport to catch a flight.

Sharing similar views, Visakhapatnam north constituency MLA P. Vishnu Kumar Raju, said, “VBE is much more convenient for the travellers from Vizag to reach Vijayawada than heading to Bhogapuram Airport to board a flight. Keeping the inconvenience in view, it is relevant to continue operation of the existing airport in Visakhapatnam. In future, steps should be considered to facilitate two airports in Vizag,” the MLA stressed.

“Until free access is improved”, says president of Andhra Pradesh Tourism Forum and Tours and Travels Association of Andhra K. Vijay Mohan, “at least during peak hours, some of the flights should continue to be operated in Visakhapatnam Airport.”

Air travellers are apprehensive that they need to start from home hours before reaching Bhogapuram. “To destinations like Vijayawada, boarding a flight from Bhogapuram would be quite time-consuming and an expensive affair. Instead, alternative modes of transport could be preferred to save time and money,” opines T. Sathish Kumar, an air traveller. Similar concerns have been raised by a section of air travellers.