SKAI was at the inauguration of the new airport in India – Investment prospects in Greece, the technologies coming to Kasteli, and the possible direct air link between Crete and India are explored.
GMR Group executives used the inauguration of the Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport at Bhogapuram in Visakhapatnam (Vizag), which took place last Saturday in the presence of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to highlight fresh investment opportunities in Greece across airports, ports, defence, energy and data centres, the transfer of Indian expertise to Crete’s new Heraklion International Airport at Kasteli, and the potential for a future direct air link between Crete and India.
Greece as a strategic market for GMR
For Greece, the development carries particular weight. GMR Airports, the company behind the Bhogapuram project, is building the new Heraklion International Airport at Kasteli in partnership with the Greek state and GEK TERNA. Commercial operations are scheduled for 2028, with staff training on the new technology systems expected to begin a year earlier — a clear transfer of expertise from India to Crete.
Srinivas Bommidala, President of Energy and International Airports at GMR Group and a member of the Group Holding Board, outlined the company’s vision for Greece. He underlined the strategic importance of the Greek market, the potential for further GMR investment, and the knowledge transfer already underway.
He also left open the possibility of a future direct air connection between Crete and India as economic, tourism and business ties between the two countries continue to grow.
“Vizag Airport is strategically positioned to become an important gateway connecting to Southeast Asia, while strengthening India’s position as one of the fastest-growing aviation markets in the world,” Bommidala said. “With operations and partnerships spanning India, Indonesia, Philippines, and Greece; we are building an integrated international aviation platform that connects economies, drives tourism, facilitates trade, and creates long-term value for communities.”
India’s new gateway to Southeast Asia
Built at a cost of approximately €510 million over 31 months, the Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport is scheduled to open for commercial operations on 17 August 2026. It ranks among India’s most significant recent aviation investments and is expected to strengthen the economic role of the country’s southeastern coast.
The airport starts with a capacity of six million passengers a year and can expand beyond 40 million. It has been designed as a next-generation facility featuring artificial-intelligence systems for operations management, facial-recognition passenger processing and modern cargo infrastructure capable of handling international freight. Resilience to coastal weather and sustainability were priorities, with energy-efficient systems and green-building standards throughout.
The new airport replaces the constraints of Visakhapatnam’s existing airport, which shares facilities with an Indian Navy base and therefore limits commercial growth. At launch, it is expected to be served by seven to eleven airlines, with the route network expanding as traffic grows.
Its location offers airlines ready access to Southeast Asian markets including Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. The project also forms part of Andhra Pradesh’s wider ambition to transform Visakhapatnam into “AI Patnam” — an artificial-intelligence hub — through technology investment, data centers and submarine cable infrastructure, positioning the city as India’s digital gateway to the Indo-Pacific.
A project of national importance
The scale of political attention was clear at the inauguration. Prime Minister Modi, ministers, Andhra Pradesh officials, GMR leadership and hundreds of thousands of citizens turned Bhogapuram into a symbol of regional ambition. Cultural performances accompanied the ceremony, while posters and messages across Visakhapatnam underlined the project’s local significance.
Modi described Andhra Pradesh as a “statemo of potential, opportunities and development” and linked the airport to India’s broader growth trajectory. The facility is named after Alluri Sitarama Raju, a celebrated figure of the independence struggle with deep roots in the region.
Design, identity and smart systems
Airport CEO Kanwarbir Singh Kalra guided SKAI.gr through the terminal. The exterior architecture draws inspiration from the “flying fish,” reflecting Andhra Pradesh’s coastal identity. Inside, the ceiling features motifs based on traditional muggulu (rangoli) patterns — symbols of welcome, prosperity and good fortune — while other elements reference the nadaswaram, a classical South Indian musical instrument. Local folk art and wildlife appear in murals along the arrivals corridor.
The airport operates as a fully “smart” facility. Beyond DigiYatra and APOC systems, it incorporates intelligent traffic management, restroom monitoring and baggage-trolley tracking. An Integrated Operations Control Center oversees flights and operations in real time.
Check-in counters, automatic bag-drop points and advanced baggage-handling systems were still partially covered in protective film — a reminder that the first passengers were only days away.
GMR’s vision extends well beyond the terminal. Surrounding development plans include an Aerocity of roughly 623 acres, residential areas of about 563 acres and an aviation hub spanning approximately 2,023 acres.
Once fully realized, the wider project is projected to support up to one million direct and indirect jobs. It will host aviation services, aircraft maintenance, logistics, manufacturing and commercial activity, creating a self-reinforcing economic ecosystem.
A vocational training center is already operating, training 235 students—nearly 80 percent of them women.
A personal milestone for G.M. Rao
For GMR Group founder Grandhi Mallikarjuna Rao (G.M. Rao), the airport carries personal meaning. Born in Rajam, Andhra Pradesh, he had long wanted a modern aviation gateway that would transform the prospects of his home region.
Founded by Rao in 1978, GMR has grown into one of Asia’s largest infrastructure groups. In partnership with France’s Groupe ADP, it now operates airports in India, Greece, Indonesia and the Philippines, serving more than 121 million passengers a year.
India itself aims to have more than 50 major airports by 2047 as part of a national program to meet rising demand for connectivity and economic growth.
From Bhogapuram to Kasteli
The Bhogapuram project offers a clear preview of the approach GMR intends to bring to Kasteli. Commercial operations in Crete are planned for 2028, with technology training for staff beginning the previous year.
Technical plans for the Greek airport include eight C3-standard cabin-baggage screening systems and one C1 system with advanced three-dimensional imaging. Most passengers will be able to leave laptops, tablets and permitted liquids in their hand luggage, reducing screening time. The terminal will feature 66 conventional check-in desks and 14 hybrid desks that can switch between staffed and automated bag-drop modes.
An underground fuel system will supply aircraft directly at stands, cutting tanker movements and turnaround times. Smart restrooms will monitor occupancy, cleanliness and maintenance needs in real time, while baggage trolleys will use IoT and RFID technology.
Design identity will also receive careful attention. Just as Bhogapuram draws on the flying fish and local artistic traditions, Kasteli is expected to incorporate elements of Cretan landscape and culture, including references to olive groves and the island’s distinctive character.
Beyond the airport itself, GMR executives presented Greece as a strategic European market. Bommidala confirmed that the group is examining further opportunities in defense, airports, ports, energy, and data centers. A direct Crete–India air service remains a discussed possibility rather than a confirmed route.
Bhogapuram is both a major Indian aviation investment and a working demonstration of the philosophy GMR plans to apply in Crete. The company’s signals of additional investment interest in Greece, together with the prospect of closer air links, point toward a broader strategic partnership between the two countries.
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