A validation flight, a requirement for commercial operations, was conducted at Bhogapuram airport, near Visakhapatnam, on Saturday, stated its operator GMR Visakhapatnam International Airport Ltd (GVIAL).
This marked a regulatory milestone ahead of the airport’s inauguration in June this year.
The flight, operated by an Air India aircraft, took place in the presence of Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, senior officials in the Ministry of Civil Aviation, representatives of the Airports Authority of India (AAI), officers in the Andhra Pradesh government, and the leadership of the GMR Group.
A validation flight is mandatory for obtaining the aerodrome licence from the aviation regulator, apart from being a prerequisite for commercial flights.
The airport is being developed as a public-private partnership on a design-build-finance-operate-transfer (DBFOT) basis.
Saturday’s exercise validated the airport’s airside infrastructure, including runway systems, navigational aids, and overall operational preparedness, in line with requirements prescribed by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
GMR Group Deputy Managing Director I Prabhakar Rao said 90 per cent of construction was complete and was progressing ahead of schedule.
Speaking on the occasion, Naidu said the airport would play a critical role in Andhra Pradesh’s development.
“Visakhapatnam is set to become the economic capital of the East,” he said, adding that Bhogapuram airport would act as a growth engine by creating employment, boosting regional industries, and improving connectivity for businesses and tourists.
GMR Airports, which operates airports in Delhi, Hyderabad, and Goa, among others, has been doing greenfield projects in India and overseas, with Bhogapuram seen as a key addition to its domestic portfolio.
GMR Group Business Chairman (Airports) G B S Raju said the airport reflected the group’s long-standing focus on building large-scale aviation assets.
The airport is being developed in phases, with an initial passenger handling capacity of 6 million per annum. This will be scaled up in line with traffic growth.
