Why you cannot use Visakhapatnam airport anymore
What's the story
Visakhapatnam Airport ceased its commercial flight operations yesterday. The last flight to take off from the airport was IndiGo's Delhi-bound flight 6E 2018, which departed at 10:45pm last night. The decision comes after the Ministry of Civil Aviation announced that scheduled commercial flights would shift to Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport at Bhogapuram starting today.
Airport transition
First flight lands at new airport
The new airport, Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport, has officially started operations.
The first flight to land at the new facility was an IndiGo flight from Hyderabad, followed by an Air India Express flight from Bengaluru.
The IATA code 'VTZ' for the airport has also been transferred from Visakhapatnam Airport to Bhogapuram since 12:01am.
Debut
Union minister flags off 1st commercial flight
Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu marked the beginning of operations, nearly 16 days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Alluri Sitarama airport on August 1.
The minister flagged off the first commercial flight and distributed boarding passes to passengers.
He expressed his happiness over the commencement of operations at Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport, calling it a "matter of great happiness and pride."
Plans
History and future of Vizag airport
Despite the termination of scheduled commercial operations, Visakhapatnam Airport will continue to operate for private flights.
The airport has a rich history dating back to World War II when an airstrip was built for the Royal Air Force.
It briefly opened for civil operations in 1962 before resuming regular flights in 1976.