Air Travel Link Sought Between Dubai, Vijayawada for US, Europe Travel
VIJAYAWADA: The long-delayed new integrated terminal at Vijayawada International Airport is expected to be completed by October, potentially giving Andhra Pradesh’s capital region a significantly larger aviation gateway as business groups press for direct Dubai service, better international connections and expanded air cargo facilities.
Airport Director M. Lakshmi Kantha Reddy said the Airports Authority of India had handed the remaining construction work to a new contractor in June and that the terminal was now expected to be completed in October and inaugurated shortly thereafter. The facility will have multi-level operations, six aerobridges, escalators and upgraded passenger-processing systems, with provision for future expansion.
The latest target is significant because the project has missed several earlier deadlines. AAI terminated the previous contractor at the end of 2025 after slow progress, leaving roughly 20% of the work unfinished. KMV Projects subsequently emerged as the lowest bidder for the balance works and received the letter of award in May, with construction scheduled to restart in June.
Earlier assessments had suggested that commissioning and regulatory clearances could push actual passenger operations toward the end of 2026 or early 2027. In July, the Airport Advisory Committee set a target of Dasara, or November at the latest. Reddy’s statement on Friday therefore represents a more ambitious timetable, though completion of civil work and commencement of full operations are not necessarily the same date.
Six aerobridges, larger international facilities
The terminal is designed to transform the passenger experience at Gannavaram Airport. Earlier project specifications provide for 24 check-in counters, six passenger boarding bridges and capacity for about 1,200 passengers during peak hours, including domestic and international travelers. More recent reporting puts the revised project cost at about ₹824 crore and annual design capacity at roughly 3.5 million passengers.
The six aerobridges will be a major change for Vijayawada, allowing passengers on suitable flights to move directly between the terminal and aircraft rather than relying primarily on buses across the apron.
The airport has expanded substantially over the past decade. Airport data cited in June showed annual passenger traffic rising from about 233,000 in 2014-15 to more than 1.41 million in 2025-26, while annual commercial aircraft movements increased to 17,536.
Reddy said the airport currently handles about 22 flights and roughly 2,000 passengers a day.
Dubai route could be particularly important for Telugu diaspora
One of the strongest demands raised by the Andhra Pradesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry Federation was for a direct Vijayawada-Dubai flight.
AP Chambers president Potluri Bhaskara Rao said Dubai connectivity, combined with a hub-and-spoke model, could provide easier access to major international destinations. Reddy also said a Dubai service would be useful for passengers travelling onward to Europe and the United States.
For Telugu families in the United States with roots in the Vijayawada-Amaravati region and surrounding districts, such a service could be consequential if an airline eventually launches it. A Dubai connection could allow some passengers to reach Vijayawada with a single international connection rather than travelling through Hyderabad, Chennai or another Indian gateway.
No airline, start date or approved Vijayawada-Dubai route was announced at Friday’s meeting, however. The proposal remains an aviation-connectivity goal rather than a confirmed service.
The airport already has international flights to Singapore and Sharjah. Current schedules show IndiGo operating the Vijayawada-Singapore nonstop route three times a week. Air India Express is selling Vijayawada-Sharjah itineraries, while current published nonstop schedules show that route operating twice weekly rather than three times.
What the proposed ‘hub-and-spoke’ model means
Reddy said the new terminal could support a hub-and-spoke approach in which international passengers complete security and baggage formalities at Vijayawada and connect through a larger international hub.
Such an arrangement could make Vijayawada more useful as an origin airport for long-distance travel rather than merely a feeder to Indian metropolitan airports.
But the terminal building alone cannot guarantee seamless through-checking of baggage to destinations in the US or Europe. That also depends on the airline operating the route, ticketing and interline or codeshare arrangements, baggage agreements and applicable immigration and security procedures.
The airport director’s comments should therefore be understood as describing the capability and connectivity model Vijayawada hopes to develop after the terminal opens, rather than announcing an already-established international transfer system.
FLY91 morning Tirupati service
Domestic connectivity is also set to expand.
Reddy said regional carrier FLY91 planned to introduce a morning Vijayawada-Tirupati flight, providing another option for pilgrims. Current booking systems show FLY91 flight IC3512 scheduled from Vijayawada at 9:45 a.m. to Tirupati, with bookings available for September 10.
The service would strengthen intra-state aviation links at a time when the Andhra Pradesh government and airport stakeholders are seeking more convenient schedules between the state’s major cities.
Cargo terminal sought
AP Chambers also urged airport authorities to create a dedicated cold-storage cargo facility for perishables, arguing that stronger logistics infrastructure would support business and exports.
Reddy said the long-term plan was to establish a separate integrated cargo terminal. In the meantime, the existing passenger terminal could potentially be converted for cargo use after operations shift to the new building.
That reuse could allow the airport to expand cargo handling without waiting for an entirely new facility, although no firm construction schedule for the proposed integrated cargo terminal was announced.
For the Vijayawada-Amaravati region, the new terminal is therefore more than a passenger-facility upgrade. Its larger significance will depend on what follows: additional international routes, effective airline partnerships, improved domestic schedules and a stronger cargo network.
If the October target is met, attention will quickly shift from construction delays to whether airlines respond with the Dubai and other international connections that businesses and passengers have been seeking.
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