A new gateway opens for Andhra Pradesh — and it carries the name of one of India's most defiant sons. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, August 1, 2026, congratulated the people of the state on the inauguration of the Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport in Bhogapuram, marking a significant addition to the country's aviation map.

Posting on X, the Prime Minister said: 'Congratulations to my sisters and brothers of Andhra Pradesh for the inauguration of the Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport in Bhogapuram. The naming of this airport is also in line with our emphasis of recognising the contribution of inspiring personalities from our rich history.'

Who Was Alluri Sitarama Raju — and Why the Name Matters

Alluri Sitarama Raju led the Rampa Rebellion of 1922–1924, an armed uprising against British colonial rule in the forested hills of the Eastern Ghats — the very terrain that today falls within Andhra Pradesh. A tribal leader who mobilised the Adivasi communities of the region, he became a symbol of grassroots resistance and is remembered as Manyam Veerudu — 'Hero of the Jungle' — in local lore. Naming a modern international airport after him plants that legacy squarely in the state's future.

The choice is not incidental. Successive governments at the Centre have increasingly paired major infrastructure inaugurations with naming decisions that spotlight freedom fighters, particularly those from tribal and regional backgrounds who have historically received less national visibility than their counterparts from larger independence movements.

Bhogapuram's Place on India's Aviation Grid

Bhogapuram, in Vizianagaram district, sits in northern coastal Andhra Pradesh — a zone that has long sought better air connectivity. The new airport is expected to serve the broader Visakhapatnam–Vizianagaram–Srikakulam corridor, channelling passengers and cargo through a purpose-built international facility rather than routing everything through the already-busy Visakhapatnam Airport.

The project fits within the broader national push to expand airport infrastructure, a drive that has seen the central government invest heavily in greenfield and upgraded airports across Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. The UDAN regional connectivity scheme, launched in 2016, has been a policy anchor for much of this expansion, aiming to make air travel accessible beyond the country's major metros.

For Andhra Pradesh — a state that was bifurcated in 2014 and has since been building out its own capital and administrative infrastructure — the Bhogapuram airport represents a tangible piece of the connectivity puzzle that investors and residents alike have been watching.

The inauguration adds another data point to a pattern the Centre has been deliberate about: infrastructure that moves people and goods, named for those who once moved a nation. That combination, more than any single ribbon-cutting, is the signal PM Modi is sending to Andhra Pradesh today.