The GMR Group has confirmed that construction of the Bhogapuram International Airport is progressing significantly ahead of schedule, with completion now expected well before the December 2026 deadline. Speaking at the Andhra Pradesh Reimagining Public Finance Summit, hosted by the Finance Department, Government of Andhra Pradesh and powered by Elets Technomedia, G.R.K. Babu, representative for the GMR Group, revealed that the project is currently running six months ahead of its targeted timeline.
The airport, envisioned as the new gateway to Andhra Pradesh, is being developed on a 2,200-acre site and designed to handle an initial capacity of 6 million passengers annually—double that of the current Visakhapatnam airport.
“We have already completed almost 80% of the infrastructure work,” he stated. “While the project was contractually slated for completion in December 2026, we are aiming to finish by July, effectively six months ahead of schedule.”
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The accelerated pace is underpinned by a robust financial closure. He also noted that the project has secured competitive financing from domestic institutions, driven by the strong viability of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) models in the aviation sector. GMR has injected over ₹1,100 crore in equity—representing more than 30% of the capital structure—while securing approximately ₹3,200 crore in debt.
The project is expected to serve as a critical economic backbone for the region, particularly for the industrial city of Visakhapatnam. Unlike the current civil enclave at the naval airbase, which faces severe expansion constraints, the new greenfield airport will offer state-of-the-art facilities and is expected to drive growth across the neighbouring districts. Operations are targeted to commence shortly after the expedited completion next year.
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