"Tears and Uncertainty!" Old Vizag Airport Halts Commercial Flights After Decades as Services Shift to Bhogapuram, Contract Staff Left in Distress!

An era in Andhra Pradesh aviation came to an emotional close on Monday, August 17, 2026, as commercial passenger flight operations were officially suspended at the historic Visakhapatnam Airport (Civil Enclave at INS Dega). All scheduled domestic and international passenger services-along with the city's IATA code VTZ-have formally migrated to the newly built greenfield Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport at Bhogapuram, located roughly 45 km away in Vizianagaram district. The final scheduled flight to depart from the old terminal was an IndiGo service to Delhi late Sunday night, ending regular civilian operations that had run since 1962.

While the city marked the milestone opening of the modern international facility, heartbreaking scenes unfolded outside the old airport as dozens of long-serving contract and housekeeping workers broke down in tears. Many of these workers, who have maintained the airport for 10 to 20 years through cyclone recoveries and the COVID-19 pandemic, expressed deep anxiety over sudden job losses and pending wages. Contract staff appealed directly to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, and Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu to intervene and provide alternative employment at the new airport.