Visakhapatnam, Aug 16 : Commercial flight operations are set to commence from the newly developed Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport at Bhogapuram in Andhra Pradesh's Vizianagaram district from Sunday midnight.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation has already announced that all commercial operations at the Civil Enclave at Visakhapatnam Airport (INS Dega) will be closed with the commissioning of the Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport, Bhogapuram, with effect from 12.01 a.m. on August 17.

All airlines are shifting their services from Visakhapatnam Airport to Bhogapuram Airport from midnight.

On the first day, 31 services are set to be operated to destinations like Hyderabad, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, and Tirupati.

The notification issued by the ministry says that the commercial operations at the Civil Enclave at Visakhapatnam Airport (INS Dega) will cease, except for airport activity at time of national emergency or by aircraft owned or operated by or for the Indian Air Force or other Armed Forces of India or police or any such other authorities or for transportation of dignitaries by special government owned, leased, or hired VIP aircraft.

The International Air Transport Code 'VTZ' for the existing Visakhapatnam Airport will be transferred to Bhogapuram International Greenfield Airport from 12.01 a.m. on August 17.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new airport on August 1.

Built at a cost of nearly Rs 4,727 crore, Bhogapuram is among the fastest-completed Greenfield international airports in India, completed within 31 months, nearly five months ahead of schedule.

The airport has already secured the DGCA aerodrome licence, along with all required safety, fire and environmental clearances.

It has been designed to handle 6 million passengers annually in the first phase, with a master plan to expand capacity to 40 million passengers annually in the future.

The project is expected to play a pivotal role in boosting economic growth, tourism, industrial investment, exports, logistics, and the aerospace and defence sectors across the erstwhile Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, and Srikakulam districts.

The integrated project spans 2,703.26 acres, including 2,203.32 acres for the airport, 500 acres for the aviation hub, and 136.63 acres for Aviation University/EduCity. The project includes comprehensive airside infrastructure, commercial development, residential zones and approach roads.

The airportâ??s 3,800-metre Code-E runway is capable of handling wide-body aircraft such as the Boeing 777, Boeing 787 Dreamliner, Airbus A330 and Airbus A340. The airport is also equipped with advanced airfield lighting, navigation aids and CNS/ATM infrastructure to support both domestic and international operations.

/IANS