GMR's Bhogapuram airport starts flights Aug. 17, capacity at 6M

GMR Airports Ltd already runs six airports. It has now built three greenfield facilities: Hyderabad, Goa and Bhogapuram. "We are confident that the airport will emerge as a major gateway for India's eastern corridor, driving investment, employment and regional prosperity for decades to come," G B S Raju, business chairman of GMR Airports Ltd, said.

The six million annual passenger capacity positions Bhogapuram as a mid-sized Indian airport at launch. For comparison, Hyderabad's airport, which GMR also operates, handled about 21 million passengers in the fiscal year ended March 2025. The Bhogapuram airport sits near Visakhapatnam, a city of roughly two million people and a growing industrial hub for pharmaceuticals and IT services. Direct flights from Bhogapuram to major Indian cities and select international destinations could shorten travel times for a region that currently relies on the older Visakhapatnam airport, which has limited runway length and no international terminal.

GMR's experience scaling Hyderabad from 12 million to 21 million passengers over a decade suggests the Bhogapuram expansion to 40 million is feasible if demand materialises. The airport's location on the eastern coast also puts it within striking distance of mineral-rich Odisha and agricultural markets in central India, giving it a catchment area that extends well beyond Andhra Pradesh.